#the bamboo hat man actually helping

[fortune-maiden]

I love the ending of Book 4 so much T_T

[hanayori89]

Lesson 2: Isle of Secrets

Eagus really outdid himself today.

With every heavy step that landed on the grass, you thought it might incinerate from your burning feet. Your muscles that ached continued to vibrate, and the sensation of still being hammered by a bamboo stick created aftershocks of agony.

You lifted up the sleeve of your uniform to see a scathing red imprint of where the bamboo had struck. You had failed to parry it. 

"If this were a real battle, your arm would be gone by now."  You could still hear Eagus lambasting you in that militant tone of his. 

The sun had long set, and miles and miles of cobalt sky surrounded Skyloft. Not even the other far-off islands were visible once the radiance of the sun began to fade away. Your knuckles cracked as you began to turn the doorknob of the Knight Academy. You swore you could feel your soft, cotton sheets calling to you from the other side. 

Actually, it was Karane who was calling out to you. 

"Y/N?" She winced when she took a gander at your besmirched clothing and battered body. 

"Oh, Y/N, how long did you stay at Eagus's? Don't tell me you've been practicing since class ended." She tapped her foot impatiently, crossing her arms to warn you about the imminent earful you were about to receive. That was until Pipit walked through the door. 

Pipit was an exemplary student of Professor Owlan who had graduated and been dubbed a knight. He now had the role of nocturnal guard, patrolling the perimeters of Skyloft and looking out for citizen safety. He was swift in combat, an outstanding Loftwing pilot, and easy on the eyes. 

At least, easy to Karane's eyes.

They were both insufferable to watch. Every time Pipit would greet Karane, he said her name as if it were milk chocolate threatening to melt on his tongue. It was careful, precise, and seductive. Their eyes would pirouette around each other, covering every surface from their lips to the dimensions of each other's shoulder blades.

Something had to give between the two.

"Oh-h, um, hi, Pipit." A blush as red and thick as the mane on Karane's head began to cover her face. 

"Hey." You added not wanting to appear rude, but clearly unenthusiastic. 

"Y/N. Karane." Pipit removed his long fern knight hat, nodding at you both. "Good night to you ladies. I hope you are in for the night; you shouldn't be out when the monsters begin to roam." 

"Nope, we are going to study for the big Loftwing midterm! Aren't we, Y/N?" She wrapped an arm around your shoulder, causing you to yelp. 

"Good to hear." Pipit strolled away, leaving Karane's breath labored, as if she had just run up and down the stairs of the goddess statue.

"Good grief. Just tell him how you feel."

She stomped her foot. "No! Look at him, Y/N! That man is out of my league. Knighted, intelligent, mannerly, and- "

"Karane, didn't you hear how he said your name? He didn't even look at me."

"Frankly, Y/N, I don't even want to look at you; you're a sight for sore eyes right now." 

"Funny." Yet your response lacked laughter.

As your feet shuffled down the hall, Karane was hot on your heels, nagging you about how you're overexerting yourself. You walked past your classroom, which was vacant, except for Link and Zelda. 

Karane's voice sounded far away as your attention faded elsewhere. You knew you shouldn't spy, but you couldn't help but notice how their heads appeared conjoined as a book sat in between them. You felt something begin to creep over you—something you didn't quite want to feel.

Something you refused to name.

And thankfully, you didn't have to. Link looked up, spotting you. 

Ugh.

You quickly scattered away from the door. 

"Y/N?" Karane walked past the classroom. The sound of her snickering behind you was a prelude to what she was going to say next. "Ah, Mr.Ew and Zelda are in there." 

"So, they are." You ignored her comment, knowing that if you acknowledged it, she'd press you about Link. 

The complexity of whatever it was you were feeling was pressing enough. You changed the subject. "So, tomorrow we are meeting at 7 to study before class?" 

"You betcha. That is as long as you get up on time." She teased. "Good night, Y/N."

"Night, Karane." 

You approached your bedroom, your body craving the feeling of cushion and your heart craving to be alone and undisturbed. As you began to open your door, strange grunts came from the room adjacent to yours.

It belonged to Fletch.

You took the ajar crack of his door as an invitation for you to peek inside. You decided you were being awfully nosey tonight. Fletch was on the floor, propped up on his arms, lowering himself with a dramatic huff. You watched his puny biceps fight to bulge in and out as he continued to attempt to do some push-ups.

The atmosphere has been so tense lately. 

The stress levels had to be at an all-time high if even Fletch was working out for the Loftwing competition.

Of course, the winner would get to have a private rendezvous with Zelda beneath the goddess statue; who wouldn't want that?

Besides you.

You stalked back to your room, ready to rest your weary body and the unsettling pit in your stomach that had formed from seeing Link and Zelda huddled so close together. 

Clank Clank Clank

A tapping sound on your window made you shoot your eyes open and flip your covers off. Sava, your loftwing, blessed with feathers that glimmered gold, banged her beak against your window. You rubbed your eyes, notating the time on your clock. 

12 am.

Perfect. 

You slipped into your favorite long, wool Skyloftian dress, which would ward off the brutal chill of the barren night sky. You grabbed your leather riding boots, layering thick cashmere socks beneath them, lacing them up, and knotting them securely around your calves.

Unlatching your window and sliding it open, you hopped out, only to be greeted with friendly nudges from Sava. 

"Hey girl, ready for some fun?"  

The sound of a twig snapped in the distance, causing you both to grow quiet. 

What you were about to do was strictly prohibited. Getting caught meant instant dismissal from the Knight Academy. 

You continued to pet Sava, both of you remaining silent. 

Pipit should be done his rounds by now. 

Knights-to-be were not to go wandering around the archipelago of islands until they were considered knights. An untrained knight could encounter perils they were not yet equipped for, or worse, they could fall down below to the forbidden surface. 

You waited for another moment, ready to sneak back inside, when a feral remlit jumped out. 

Whew.

You quickly mounted Sava and blasted off into the sanctuary of the sky, leaving the remlit to snarl at the cloud of dust you left in your stead.

As you flew, you couldn't shake the uneasiness of something being off.

You continued to soar amongst the splotches of dark clouds until they coalesced into a murky gray. The familiar beam of light you had grown accustomed to began to flicker at you, beckoning you to follow it like a finger. You and Sava continued to fly, traveling along the cascading golden road of light.

Then it happened.

The rain.

Rain was a big deal to you. It was actually a major life event, considering rain did not occur on Skyloft or its many floating neighbors, such as the Lumpy Pumpkin. 

You've been flying out here the past few months to this mysterious island that coaxed you with a single ray of light. Once you felt the precursor of water hailing from the sky and onto your flesh, you knew you were close. An earthy scent hung beneath your nose as your clothes became saturated with raindrops. This experience had changed you, making you realize how limited your perception of the sky was.

Perhaps even more confining was what you were taught about the surface.

You had yet to know what to call this enigma of an island. Sure, it was dreary thanks to the constant flow of rain and smears of ashen sky. Compared to the sunny paradise of Skyloft, it was quite puzzling how you could see any beauty on this island.

But it felt sacred. Holy.

The first time you and Sava landed, you were enrobed in an ancient splendor that not even the grand goddess statue in Skyloft could invoke.

There was something else, too. It was lonely. And the solitude this island offered felt like a gift. A gift that was only meant to belong to you.

Aside from the odd tranquility that drew you in, the main reason you kept sneaking back was because of the temple. There was a temple, warped by water and muddled by time. A suspended bridge jutted from the temple, broken off so that it wouldn't meet the isle and connect you to the entrance. Even the most skilled of Loftwing pilots would not be able to enter this temple; the ledge was too small for a Loftwing to land on and too risky for a Skyloftian to attempt to jump to. 

With the inlet being buried at the bottom of the temple and inaccessible, a visitor would be forced to land among the island, which held a stone grid of concrete that sprawled around the surface and a giant dial that jutted from out in the center of it. It was clear to you that this was some sort of puzzle, one that you couldn't seem to figure out.

But you were certain that you could somehow connect the pieces of the suspended bridge so that you could enter the temple.

So, tonight, like every night since your discovery, you would return to the island and fiddle with the dial.

As you began to push it—the marble too heavy for your fatigued muscles—you heard another twig snap.

You felt as if your heart had plummeted below to the surface. 

Someone followed you here.

Someone knew your secret.

What you didn't know was that someone held the key to the mysterious island and all of its secrets that were concealed. 

Edited:5/9/24 

[danganronpafan777]

SDRA2 Boys with a innocent Girlfriend who Daughter of Genma Saotome From Ranma 1/2 who have a curse that he'll turn into a Panda if he gets wet in cold water and human in hot water at first The Boys try to get along with him which is working out alright until he admits casually while Y/N is away he have given Y/N hands to other people before without Y/N knowledge and tries to convince the boys to leave her but instead Y/N is confuse of why her boyfriend made her move in with them (Part 1)

Here’s what the second part said:

But Follows along and wonders where her Dad went *The Boys secretly put him in a panda Zoo* base on some episode of Ranma 1/2 where it reveals Genma habit of selling his kid hand in marriage multiple times just to get free food or stuff despite making a promise vow to arrange his hand marriage to his childhood friend daughter

This prompt is a bit difficult, but I tried my best! 

Mikado Sannoji:

....Was your dad a wizard too??

As someone who uses actual magic on a daily basis, he easily believed you, but was definitely surprised. Don't worry though, the secret is safe with him! ^o

He puts on his best hat and cape when meeting your father, and even offers to perform some magic tricks for him! He doesn't have any experience with parents, but he's trying his best for you! 

He's overjoyed when things seem well between him and your dad, and attempts some casual conversation when you briefly leave. When your father tells him to break up with you, his mask goes completely blank. 

"...Excuse me?"

As your father explains what he did, offering your hand in marriage, your love and your life like it was just an object to him, Mikado nearly burns the house down. His magic rarely gets out of control, but the complete anger he feels is a fire in itself. He is still sizzling with rage even when both of you had already left. 

He insists on moving in together that very night, and barely leaves your side. The moment you’re asleep, he places your dad in the panda zoo and doesn't look back. He probably threw some bamboo at him for good measure. 

The next morning, he makes you breakfast and acts like nothing happened. Anyone who claims to be your fiancé better leave in the next few moments if they don't want to be burned alive. Mikado would never tell you what he did to your dad, but eventually would tell you what your father had done, being by your side at every moment. 

It hurts him knowing what you had been through, but he'll always be there to help.

"It's going to be alright, Y/n. That man will never use you ever again..."

  Yuri Kagarin:

He sits in quiet confusion when you tell him about your dads special ability, but as his lover, he completely trusts you and will take your word for it. 

When meeting your dad, he tries to tone down his aggression towards males. Sure, this guy was a man, but he's the man who raised you and loved you. He could make an exception for your family. 

It's definitely awkward, Yuri trying to keep his anti-male comments to himself, still treats your father as kindly as he can. He's genuinely surprised when they get along decently, but he internally begs you not to leave. 

"W-Well...the sky is rather blue today..."

"I want you to break up with Y/n."

"...Что, черт возьми, ты только что сказал, мужчина?"

He has to hold himself back when your father admits to giving away your hand in marriage for things as small as free food. His fingers are strangling air by the time you return, and he doesn't hesitate to take you and leave. 

When you agree to move in with him, he buys a new house as far away from your dad as possible with as many security measures he can get. Any male that claims to be your fiancé? They're gonna be scared for their life by the time he's done with them. Any female that claims to be your fiancé? He explains the situation and that you're taken, but still tells them to stay away. 

He wants to hire a hitman for your father, but instead puts him in the panda zoo. He could easily hire someone to do it for him, but you trusted him with the knowledge of your dad's ability, and he wouldn't give it away for anything. 

"Hey, babe? Do you know where my dad could be?"

"Hmm? I'm not sure, Цветок. However, I just booked us reservations for that restaurant we wanted to go to!"

He feels absolutely zero remorse for what he did to your dad, and will gladly take it to his grave. However, he does feel terrible knowing what you've been through, and might tell you what your father did eventually. Until then, he'd give you the life you deserve. 

Shinji Kasai:

"Wh-What? Y/n, what do you mean...?"

He's extremely confused when you tell him, and while he doesn't really believe you, he'll smile and nod. He trusts you, but the idea of your father having this ability is too absurd to imagine. He knows he's out of loop with technology and other current wonders but this is a bit much-

With your dad, he's loud and more extroverted, but still a bit shy since he's meeting your family. He feels like he's really bonding with your dad, and admires the relationship you have with him. He doesn't mind when you briefly leave, happily (and loudly) starting another conversation.

When your dad tells him to break up with you, revealing that he has already offered your hand in marriage to other people behind your back, he's filled with rage and disgust. Shinji sternly refuses, and the moment you're back, he's getting you away from this man. 

Every bone in his body wants to tell you the truth about what your father has done, but... to break your sweet heart knowing how much you love your dad... he can't do it. 

He tries legal action, and even talking to your dad again when that doesn't work. He'll explain the situation to anyone who claims to be your fiancé, and keeps you as far away from the drama as possible. You had a right to choose who you want to marry, and the fact that your own family would take that away from you pissed him off. 

It would take a LOT to push Shinji to the point of putting your father in a zoo, but when he does, he's completely filled with guilt. It won't even be a week before he admits everything. 

"Y/n...Y-You...you deserve to choose who you want to marry. He can't take your freedom away from you like that...I'm so sorry..."

Shinji will always be there for you, and always give you the option to not forgive him and walk away. He understands the wrong in what he and your father did, and he's willing to face the consequences.

Nikei Yomiuri:

"A person who turns into a panda in cold water!? What a scoop!"

You probably have to beg Nikei to not publish an article about your dad. Even when you convince him not to do it, he'll still bring it up time to time, assuring you that he would keep the identity anonymous. However, he can't say no to your innocent puppy eyes, so he whines a bit and keeps quiet about it. 

When he meets your dad, he definitely brings it up and asks questions about it. The whole meeting is practically an interview, but Nikei tries his best to talk about himself a bit as well. He isn't worried when you briefly leave, thinking him and your dad were actually getting along, but when he asks Nikei to break up with you, he nearly breaks his pen in half. 

He honestly wants to hit your father with his notepad, and nearly does at one point. Your own father giving away your hand in marriage behind your back multiple times for some reasons as small as free food!? It just so happens that this is probably the biggest scoop of the century, but he knows how the press would press you for interviews about it, and you wouldn't be in a good space to respond. 

Putting your dad in the panda zoo was definitely a void operation. Emma distracted any zookeepers, Hajime kept anyone else out of the way, Iroha helped Nikei put your unconscious dad in a habitat and ended up falling into the enclosure-

If anyone appears, claiming to be your fiancé, Nikei wouldn't hesitate to threaten them, which doesn't usually work given his weak appearance, but this man would ruin them with the press if they don't back off. 

Despite his chattiness and job for unveiling the truth, he would never tell you what happened with your father, or where he is now. He doesn't want to ruin your innocence and break your heart, so he puts on a smile and tells you that he has no idea where your dad is. 

"Nikei...I'm starting to think my dad is missing... I haven't seen him anywhere!"

"Missing!? Well, don't worry Y/n! Nikei Yomiuri is on the case!"

He assures you that he'll type up a missing persons report for the police, or maybe create an article to ask the public. You can only smile and hug him, telling him that you couldn't imagine where you'd be without him. It's times like those that Nikei feels the guilt and burdens of what he did, but he'll bury it down, telling himself that he'll take it to his grave.

Yuki Maeda:

"Your father...turns into a panda..." Yuki slowly repeats what you just told him. 

It was definitely the strangest thing he had heard you say, and while he wants to believe you, his head can barely wrap around it. Should he bring your dad some bamboo then?

He's extremely nervous about meeting your dad, enough that he's shaking, despite your father being seemingly harmless. Yuki tries to be charming, but is extremely awkward and shy, which only increases as you briefly leave. He's only pulled out of his thoughts of wishing for you to return by your father telling him to break up with you. 

He assumes your father doesn't like him, but when he explains the real reason why, Yuki feels sick to his stomach. Yuki can barely speak, and as your father continues to pressure him, he snaps that he's not going to break up with you. 

Under most circumstances, Yuki would tell you what happened immediately, but he couldn't get out the words he wanted to say. He saw how happy you were that he got along with your dad, just like how well you got along with him mom. To break your kind heart like that....

Torn, Yuki seeks advice from his big bro, who is the one to suggest moving you in with him. Together, Yuki and Shinji end up placing your dad in the panda zoo, making them both shocked that you weren't joking, but also feeling a bit bad for doing this, even if your father was a scumbag. 

If anyone claims to be your fiancé, Yuki tries to get them as far away from you as possible. He tells them that you never consented to them having your hand in marriage and for them to leave you alone. It's not very convincing, but with your innocence, you always thought it was some kind of joke. 

Yuki can't hide what he and your dad did from you. After a few months, he breaks down and admits what your father told him when they first met, and what he did in turn. He admits to telling Shinji, but begs you not to blame him for anything. 

It's a lot to take in... Yuki doesn't know how to help you, but he wants to try his best. 

"Yuki...thanks for telling me."

"...I'm sorry, Y/n. I'm so sorry..."

You wrap your arms around him, and the two of you just cradle each other, whispering words of forgiveness and reassurance.

Hajime Makonouchi:

"...What?" 

He tries to believe you when you tell him about your dad turning into a panda, given how he was literally saved by luck from the heavens, but he can't wrap his head around that. Hajime knows you won't lie to him, so he mostly just takes your word for it. 

When meeting your dad, he stays polite and patient, making a few health recommendations here and there for both humans and pandas. He's a bit awkward and tries to break the ice when you leave, but your Dad beats him to it by urging him to break up with you. 

His eyes widen as he gets even more shocked and horrified as your father explains what he did behind your back. His own parents may have left him, but your father gave you away as if you were nothing but an object. All his instincts tell him to get you away from this situation, and that's exactly what he does. 

He smiles as he helps you move in with him, making any excuse not to see your dad. Honestly, it was probably his divine luck that landed your father in the panda zoo, so his hands are clean. Still, he feels a bit of guilt for keeping this away from you, and his heart breaks knowing how the person you trusted as a parent used you. 

If anyone claims to be your fiancé, his build and talent alone are usually enough to scare them away. If not, he'll tell them that you never consented to it, and it was done behind your back.

It would be a while before he's able to tell you about what your father did, but he's there to comfort you, knowing how betrayal from a parent feels. 

"Hajime.... Do you know where my dad is now?"

"...He's fine, but... let's not talk about him. This is about you." 

Syobai Hashimoto:

When you told him about your dad turning into a panda, he did not believe you in the slightest. He honestly thought you were saying some stupid joke.

He won't believe it until he actually sees it for himself, and even then, he can barely process it

Syobai doesn't have high expectations for getting along with your dad, as he's literally the type of guy that parents would keep you away from.  Still, he wore his tie right and introduced himself for free.

Syobai can admit that he's not a good person, but holy shit did your dad make him look like a saint. He knew from your dads expression that he was waiting for you to leave to say something, but the fact that he had given your hand in marriage without you knowing caught him completely off guard. 

He drops his cigarette, before slowly picking it up and using the closest surface as an ashtray. With your kindness and innocent personality, he assumed that your father would be the kind person you described him to be, but now he was asking him to give up one of the few good things in his life so he could marry you off without your knowledge? Hell no.  

He honestly just wanted to kill your dad, and almost did, taking his knife out of his coat pocket. However, you returned soon after, and he didn't want to ruin you with this. You're definitely surprised when he asks you to move in with him so suddenly, as Syobai was usually rather cold and wanted to take things slow, but you happily accepted.

He feels absolutely no remorse putting your father in the zoo. He would rather see him dead, but the punishment was appropriate, considering how much he treated you like some sort of prize to give away. 

If anyone asks about your hand in marriage, or if anyone claims they were already given your hand, he'll take out his knife and threaten them. He was your boyfriend, if they had a problem with that, they could take it up with him.

Despite his usual bluntness, he wouldn't tell you anything that happened. He thinks about your bastard of a father every now and then, and while he didn't have parents himself, he knows the truth would hurt you. 

"Hey, babe? I know that you aren't close with my dad, but... do you have any idea where he might be? I can't find him anywhere..."

At your question, Syobai leaned back, taking another hit of his cigarette,

"I dunno. He'll turn up eventually."

Teruya Otori:

He honestly thought you either crazy or joking when you told him about your dad's ability. He thinks your messing with him, and needs to see it to actually start to process it

He's happy to get along with your dad, considering how well you got along with his! Maybe your dads could be friends or something! 

When you briefly leave the conversation, he continues smiling and chatting with your dad, but pauses after seeing his darkening expression. 

"...? Is everythin' alright?"

He's taken aback after hearing what your father has done. He doesn't realize that he's shaking with anger until you point it out. He's too stunned to reply to your father's words and request to breakup with you, but there's no way he's doing it.

For a while, he's distant and hesitant, wanting to tell you the truth about your dad but he doesn't want to break your heart. If he learned that his own father done something like that...

Teruya wanted to go to his dad for advice, but stopped himself. He wasn't a coward anymore, and this wasn't something he had the right to share. Still, the more he thinks about it, the angrier he gets, to the point where you think he's mad at you.

It hurts him to look into your innocent eyes, knowing how much you have been unknowingly taken advantage of. Placing your father in a panda zoo was one of his few moments of being driven by anger, and he can barely sleep knowing what he did. 

Teruya avoids anyone who claimed to have your hand in marriage, which was too many people to count. Knowing you were practically given away by your dad just for something as small as free food broke him. He starts acting overprotective and you're only getting more confused. 

Eventually, you snap at him despite your innocence, 

"Teruya! What has gotten into you!? You act distant, then ask me to move in with you, act distant again, and now you'll barely leave me alone! What is going on!? Why are you acting like this!?"

Teruya can't hold back anymore, bursting into tears and admitting everything. He can't keep something like this from you. You deserved to know more than anyone, but he loved you so much...

He can't stop apologizing for what he did, and for hiding what your own father had did. As he was dreading, your heart shatters, and you feel betrayed. Teruya gives you some space for the next few days, checking in every now and then... In a way, he feels like he betrayed you just as much as your dad did.

"Hey...Teruya?"

"..?" 

"...Thanks for telling me. You did what you thought was right...can you stay with me?" 

The two of you hold each other and cry together. It would be a while before you completely trust him again, or trust anyone for that matter, but you forgive him, accepting that he's there for you on the long road to recovery.

[crowning-art]

TGCF SPOILERS

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IS THIS A JOKE!!!?! I"M REALLY OUT HERE UGLY CRYING OVER A BAMBOO HAT???!!!

I ThoUGHT ALL THE EMOTIONAL PARTS WERE DONE!!!! DOWNFWJNWNFLWFNLW

Damn, this part wjnwkjfnwlfn, I think this paragraph speaks for itself

“You aren’t the God of Misfortune, but they would rather believe that you are, unwilling to believe you aren’t,” White No-Face said. “Once upon a time, you defied the heavens and created rain for Yong'an, yet now they won’t even donate a cup of water to you. To pierce you with a hundred swords might have been done out of desperation, but now, they’re not even willing to do something simple like helping you pull out a sword; they all found the task too difficult.

I know I already put my reaction up there for this scene but it deserves a second reaction:

The rain seemed to have stopped.

No.

The rain didn’t stop. It was something that was placed over his head, helping him block off that pouring rain!

Xie Lian whipped his head up to look, and saw someone crouched before him, pressing that bamboo hat that was on his own head on Xie Lian’s head.

…It was that man who was just cussing loudly at him!

IT WAS AN ACTION OF ONE SMALL INSIGNIFICANT MAN, ONE WHOSE NAME WE WILL NEVER KNOW AND HE DID AN ACT THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR CENTURIES T-T IT WAS THE ACT OF A MAN WHO CHOSE TO PUT ASIDE DIFFERENCES TO HELP A FELLOW PERSON! IT WAS THE ACT OF GIVING UP YOUR OWN PERSONAL COMFORT TO PROVIDE COMFORT TO SOMEONE ELSE! IT WAS SUCH A FORGETTABLE ACT THAT SAVED MILLIONS OF LIVES NOT JUST NOW, BUT IN THE FUTURE! IT WAS SO SMALL YET SO LARGE THAT NO ONE PERSON COULD CONTAIN THE MAGNANIMITY OF THIS ACT I CANT IM ACC CRYING FROM THIS I CANT FONWOFINOQFNOEF

IT TOOK JUST ONE PERSON TO BRING HIM BACK! ONE PERSON OH M GOD I CaNt I cant my heart is so overwhelmed rn It's like suddenly the initial stabbing scene doesn't matter anymore, yknow?! There is still kindness left in this cruel ugly world, it's like no matter how harsh the land, there will always be a small white flower growing even when there is no water or light I CANT WJNWJNCWLNCLKW

“I SAID FUCK YOU!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TO DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THIS?? I AM THE CROWN PRINCE!!!”

Upon his face, two lines of tears were already streaming down from his eyes.

One person. Just one.

Really.

Just one person was enough!

INCOHERET SCREAMING

Under the rain, Xie Lian was holding that sword up, and he said darkly, “As long as you use this sword to pierce me, you won’t be affected by the Human Face Disease.”

I. AM. LOSING. MY. MIND

'MY DREAM IS TO SAVE THE COMMON PEOPLE' IWBIWUBCC HE DIDN'T FORGET HIS DREAM I AM FULL ON SOBBING OFHWHFWIHFWHFW

Xie Lian had his back turned to him. “If a day isn’t enough, then let it take a month; if a month won’t do then two months, three months! If I can’t save ten thousand, then I’ll save a thousand; if I can’t save a thousand then I’ll save a hundred, TEN, EVEN IF IT’S ONLY ONE!!!”

AND IT IS THE SAME PEOPLE SHOWING HIM KINDESS SNJSSJSJ OH MY GOOOOODDD

Xie Lian didn’t receive the excruciating pain he anticipated, but instead there was a loud and clear, “YOU CAN’T!!”

“…”

He whipped his head over to look. The one who knocked that black sword down was actually that little water merchant!

Ok I am obsessed with this random old woman lol

The wife of that little merchant kept elbowing him, but when she heard that she instantly exploded, yelling with her face red, “MOTHERFUCKING BULLSHIT, WHO’S SHORTCHANGING?? COME THE HELL OUT AND SAY THIS TO MY FACE!”

ahh so he chose banishment of his own will the second time. I dunno why baby boi was so ashamed of his shackles. He should have worn them with pride. Honestly, knowing how they came about, I don't think any crown he could ever wear would be compared to the beauty of these shackles T-T

Also it's super cute how he's helping build Mu Qing and Feng xin's temples, like an act of paying them back all they did in the past. And also love how he's trying to get their followers to get along (foreshadowing him matchmaking them in the future mayhaps?)

My heart cracked a little (not that it wasn't already cracked enough lol)

Jun Wu looked at him intently, and after a long while, he said, “Xianle has grown up.” This should’ve been something Xie Lian heard from his elders. Unfortunately, his father and mother had no more chances to say it.

wait Jun Wu killed White-No face in FRONT of Xie Lian....what in the heck is going on?!?!?!?! I am the edge of my seat!!

THE WHOLE HUA CHENG SCENE WHAT THE HELL I CANT IT"S LIKE CAN THESE TWO CALM DOWN!!!!! IF YOUR DREAM IS TO SAVE THE COMMON PEOPLE MY DREAM IS ONLY YOU AND HE LIVED UP TO IT I WILL CRY I CAN'T PLZ COME BACK HUA CHENG I AM BROKEN BEYOND WORDS

He said to it, “I hope we shall meet again.”

Even after he had gone into the distance, that tiny, little red flower was still dancing in the wind.

The white flower and the red flower T-T

IT WAS ALWAYS ONE PERSON THAT HE NEEDED TO BELIEVE IN HIM AS WELL AND THAT ONE PERSON AS BEEN WITH HIM ALL ALONG I AM CRYING BDUFJDJDJFJFJFJFJJDJFJFJFJ I CANT FJCJCJJVJFKFKD PLZ DJDJXJJDJDJD THEY ARE EVERYTHING TO ME

------------------

i did not expect the last 3 chapters to be so wild, but damn....book 4 was wild. I feel like a war veteran coming out of a long drawn out battle....that I finally won...after losing so many people. I am fundamentally changed as a human, god this was insane

....and there's still book 5 left (immense dread)

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

thousand autumns donghua, episode 8~

OHHH he's the junior preceptor?? what an interesting title!! i have no idea what it means!! is that like 'guoshi' from tian guan ci fu, perhaps?? a similar title, maybe?? WAIT THE OLD MAN IS BULLYING BIRBS??? UNACCEPTABLE. I WILL PECK OUT HIS EYES >:V oh so they're competing for Number One Temple now?? have they already decided on the top ten brothels and five-star inns of the jianghu?? are the temples the only thing left to be ranked?? lol yan wushi curled up on the other side of the table before he stands up looks so fecking funny, i wish i could take a screenshot, he's like a lil purple daruma 🤣 SHEN QIAO IS OUTRAGED!! yws: why do u care what those losers do?? btw u lost this game so u have to do my chores >:) shen qiao: i mean….i guess i'll do it :/ ilu announcer man whose job is to shout the guests' names jfc shen qiao u couldn't even be bothered to dress up?? put on a different jacket or something?? ok then i actually find the random 'normal looking' side character and bg characters to be a bit more pleasing to look at than the super-pretty main dudes lol. might just be personal taste tho 😅 UH-OH HE LOOKS FOREIGN. WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS ngl he's kind of hot tho Duan Wenyang is STYLISH AF. vaguely menacing, but TOGGED TO THE BRICKS, as they say!! (idk anyone who actually says this) dwy: OH CHIEF DISCIPLE?? u can be our witness!! sq: im blind :/ WHY DO FIGHTS ALWAYS BREAK OUT WHEN PPL ARE EATING owo who dis??? he's even MORE stylish!!! wow ;A; the old man splayed out over his divan like a TART, robes hanging open like a TART, his hair LOOSE and FREE like a TART honestly i have the most fun with the fight scenes and watching yan wushi menace random ppl for his own amusement OH SHIT ITS JGY'S BIG BRO i don't TRUST HIM, he wears a HAT and MISTREATS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS >:( yws: wow, ur such a creep. #cancelled BIG JGY U STOP HURTING THAT POOR INSTRUMENT!! is that a qin?? it makes such a pretty sound ;A; i want oneeeeee ;A; OOOOH PHOENIX POWERS!! YWS IS SUCH A BADASS OH MY GOOOODDDDD!!! HOLY SHIT!! GET EM OLD MAN, SHOW EM WHAT'S WHAT!!! WELL DONE!!! :DDD yeessssss MORE FIGHT SCENES!!! duan wenyang has got a whip and the li qingyu has got a really pretty sword!!! dwy: see y'all another time! :D poor shen qiao has to keep telling ppl that he's not the chief anymore, that can't be easy on him ;A; OH LOOK DWY IS BACK. i guess when he said 'another time' he meant 'in ten minutes' lol GET EM SHEN QIAO!! li qingyu thought shen qiao was a bad dude??? wtf??? WHO HAVE U BEEN LISTENING TO. WHO COULD CALL MY SWEET SHEN QIAO A BAD DUDE. HE'S LITERALLY SO INOFFENSIVE??? god the music SLAPS OH CRAP HE BROKE THE BAMBOO STICK----OOH NICE CATCH!!! lmao shen qiao immediately showing the other guy up after praising him for his good martial arts 🤣 HE'S SO POLITE. I LOVE SHEN QIAO lmaooo li qingyu seems quite nice as well, 'u can stay with us instead of the old man, if u like, we don't mind! :D' ASDFGHGFDS THIS KID WANTS TO PAINT SHEN QIAO 'bro ur like. SO HOT. LIKE A CELESTIAL BEING. WAY HOTTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. LET ME PAINT U PLS ;A;' i roast him, but as an artist i understand his pain 😔 sometimes u see someone so beautiful, u really can't help urself 😔 OH I SEE. duan wenyang and kehan dude and big jgy are all IN LEAGUE with each other!! innnnch restinggggg 👀👀 DON'T TRUST THE JGY SHAPED MAN, FELLAS. DON'T U SEE HIS HAT. DIDN'T U SEE WHAT HE DID TO THAT INSTRUMENT. IT'S A BAD IDEA ALL ROUND u know yan wushi barely evil laughed AT ALL during this episode. how disappointing 😔

[moxiangliuyun]

001 Prologue

PROLOGUE

-------------

Thick fog was seen moving slowly like a cloud of smoke covering the area and a purplish tinge crossed the cloudy sky like a mystical shawl stretching across the edge of the horizon.

"CROAK--!!!"

"CROAK--!!!"

"CROAK--!!!"

Crowds of flying black crows spread through the air with their croaking sounds.

DING!!!

DING!!!

DING!!!

Suddenly there was a sound of metal clinking.

"Huh! Why are the bells suddenly ringing and there are so many crows?" The man who was sitting at the side of the table weaving a hat from bamboo gasped in surprise when he suddenly heard a clink and the sound of a crow.

"Ugh! Why does it feel so cold today, unlike usual!" Said the man who was seen in a house made of wood that was so old that it was black in color, the wood was taken at the foot of the mountain around the bamboo forest.

Meanwhile, his wife, who was also sitting across the table, was seen embroidering with the help of a oil lamp whose flickering light was refracted on the walls of the house, creating a moving silhouette as the sky outside began to darken. Then the man walked to the window to open it and turned towards the origin of the sound which turned out to be a green bell hanging on the edge of the roof of his wooden house.

Apart from that, the view outside the window showed crowds of crows scattered across the sky at dusk decorated with purplish streaks visible behind the mountains covered in thick fog which the local people called the "Yin Wu Mountains" which slowly seemed to disappear. from sight, because it is covered in thick fog like a dim shadow which sometimes blocks the view of people outside the mountain area, therefore it is given a name like that which means the "Hidden fog mountains", because the mountain area at any time only looks like a stretch of empty land vast and covered in fog. This mountain range, which was located near the border between the Great Eastern Country and the Barbarian tribe's territory, seemed to always be shrouded in thick fog and extremely dense forests. The trees there, especially the pine and banyan trees, are on average very old and hundreds of years old, grow very big and tall, giving a very mysterious impression and a strong mystical aura.

At the foot of the Yin Wu Mountains, there is a remote village that is still considered beautiful, because it is rarely visited by outsiders, unless those people come for a specific purpose. The village was named “Lu Zhong Village” which means “Green Bell Village”. Why is it called Green Bell Village, because in every house in the village, at one end of the front roof of the house, hangs a green bell that has been around since the time of their ancestors. If the wind blows, the bell will sound "DING–DING–DING" with a sound that is quite melodious to hear, but the actual function of the bell is that it will sound if a supernatural creature comes to visit the house.

At that time the atmosphere was still in the house on stilts.

"Oops--! The fog is so thick, my heart doesn't feel good today, could it be--?!" The man said again with his heart beating fast after seeing the scene outside his house and the sky was starting to get dark.

His heart felt uneasy because many crows had appeared, apart from that the sky looked cloudy, there were purple streaks accompanied by thick fog and the temperature was very cold, but there was not the slightest gust of wind which made the atmosphere around him feel strange and eerie.

"It turns out my guess was right!" The man said to his wife again.

"My wife, quickly lock the door!" The man turned to where his wife was sitting, and told her to immediately lock the door to their house.

"Okay!" said the wife, she rushed to put her embroidery on the table, then ran towards the door because she also heard the sound of crows and bells ringing so she understood what her husband meant.

JEGLEG!!!

JEGLEG!!!

The man hurriedly closed and locked all the windows of their house.

CLICK!!!

CLICK!!!

His wife hurriedly ran to the door of their house and immediately locked it by placing two wooden sticks in the middle between the two doors, as was generally the case with ancient house locks.

"Come on, let's quickly hide in the room!" The man said again to his wife.

The man immediately turned off the oil lamp that was outside his bedroom and left one in his own room, turned the knob to slightly dim the flame of the oil lamp so that the light wasn't too bright, then he lay down with his wife on the bed while covering their entire bodies with a blanket from toe to head with a little trembling and a heart pounding fast because of the fear.

"Oh--! The Emperor, Lord of the Yin Wu Mountains, protect me and my wife and all the people of Lu Zhong village, may we all be safe and nothing bad happens!"

The man's mouth seemed to be muttering softly under the blanket but his wife heard it and she said the same thing in her heart.

Meanwhile, the sound of “Ding–Ding–Ding” could also be faintly heard in the distance from their neighbor's house.

When there is no wind, no rain and the Green Bell suddenly rings by itself, the villagers do not dare leave the house, because they know there will be "strangeness" that they will see, if they dare leave the house they might experience disaster. Not everyone can see supernatural beings, unless they are talented and open their inner eyes, but everyone in Lu Zhong's village can see them, from old people to babies.

TAP!!!

TAP!!!

TAP!!

The sound of horse hooves tapping was heard.

It was the 15th of the 7th month, the atmosphere in Lu Zhong village became increasingly foggy and the air temperature around it would also be colder than usual, and the atmosphere became tense, because at that time it was the gateway between the human world and the "Underworld (Unseen World)" the one in the Cave in the middle of the Yin Wu Mountains would open, which was why all the Green Bells in every villager's house would ring by themselves, even though there was no wind blowing to move them. It was as if there was a supernatural force shaking the bells and the villagers would feel like they were in a void like time stopped turning, they were no longer in Lu Zhong village, but were in another world. Apart from the view being blocked by thick fog, you will also feel the gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of kemuning flowers whose flowers and fragrance resemble jasmine flowers, but have tall tree trunks. In the distance, you could also faintly hear the sound of horse hooves, the sound of musical instruments such as trumpets and drums being beaten from the direction of the Yin Wu forest towards the bamboo forest.

"TEEET--!!!"

"DANG--!

DANG! DANG! DANG--!!!"

The sound of trumpets blowing and drums beating.

"Move!"

"Move!"

"Your Majesty is passing by!"

"Move!"

"Move!"

"Your Majesty is passing by!"

The hoarse voice was somewhat resonant and repetitive, more like the moans of a creature from another world.

Out came a procession of royal soldiers wearing armor, carrying swords on their backs and some holding banners. In the middle row, burly men consisting of five people on each side carried a luxurious "Sedan Chair" like royal property. Behind him were several soldiers in armor. Behind the soldier there were several figures of creatures whose shapes were very strange, such as green creatures with slimy skin and long ears pointing upwards, then there was a woman dressed in white whose hair reached her waist, but her tongue looked very long sticking out and it was moving like a snake's tongue. There are also other dwarf humans who have sharp teeth like vampire teeth, there are creatures that walk with bent legs, apart from that there are also creatures that walk with bodies without heads, and so on.

The sedan chair that the ten people were carrying looked very majestic and was surrounded by a golden curtain that was tied to the stretcher pole with black rope and looked like a curtain embroidered with gold thread and on each side decorated with tassels that were always swaying, while inside it was seen a person the young man sat with the charisma of a king. The young man had a very handsome face, white skin and wore a very luxurious gold robe.

If anyone happened to see them, the line of the group looked like flickering shadows and when they walked they seemed to be floating because their feet did not touch the ground. After leaving the path in the bamboo forest and passing through Lu Zhong village, they headed to the edge of the village to eat the offerings offered by the villagers placed near the whirlpool of the Yin Wu River on the outskirts of the village.

The Yin Wu River whose water comes from the Yin Wu Mountains will eventually end up in the whirlpool and be sucked into the hole below the whirlpool, but instead the water flows back up the Yin Wu Mountains and continues into the cave which is the gateway to underworld, strange isn't it? Water usually flows to lower places and cannot flow to higher places by itself. In fact, the water of the Yin Wu River seemed like it would never be able to flow out of Lu Zhong village. The river water from the cave to the boundary of the bamboo forest is inhabited by demon fish that eat human flesh, but the boundary between the bamboo forest and Lu Zhong village seems to have an "Invisible Fence" so that the river water in Lu Zhong village is safe, there are no demon fish, there are only fish that the villagers can eat.

"Have you guys finished enjoying the food? Then, let's go home because it's almost morning!" Said the handsome young man who sat on a Sedan Chair and had the charisma of a king.

“We are finished and ready to carry out His Majesty the Emperor's orders!” The soldiers said in unison with the others.

The Emperor raised his hand as a sign to depart.

TAP!!!

TAP!!!

TAP!!

The sound of horse hooves starting to leave the area was heard.

The sky was still dark, after enjoying the offerings from the villagers, the handsome young man in luxurious robes who turned out to be an Emperor along with soldiers and a convoy of other astral creatures departed from the outskirts of Lu Zhong village to return to the Yin Wu mountains by taking the path they had taken before. It was said that since the time of the ancestors, the villagers of Lu Zhong village were actually protected by this Emperor, the Lord of the Yin Wu Mountains.

In the bamboo forest there is a large black stone with a flat surface called the "BAMBOO FOREST DOUBLE STONE", which is used by village people and immigrants from outside as a place to perform rituals, namely: On the 15th day of the "FULL MOON", they burned three sticks of black fragrant incense, threw white chrysanthemums and black partridges into the river inhabited by demon fish around the "BAMBOO FOREST DOUBLE STONE", as thanks to the Emperor, Lord of the Yin Wu Mountains, for giving fertile land, water abundant, resources that never run out, wood that never rots, and protection if there are bandits coming from outside the village, and on the 1st day (beginning of the month) the "CRESCENT MOON" is believed to have a strong mystical aura and is used for rituals and worshiping idols at a banyan tree to make a pact with the Banyan Tree Demon and asking for something idolatrous by using black incense containing an anesthetic and a bowl of blood.

However, one day the villagers of Lu Zhong were shocked by what happened to the family of a woman whom they now usually call "GRANDMA LIN". At the time of the incident, she was around 38 years old and had no children, while her husband, who was around 40 years old, suddenly died suddenly with a pale, bloodless body. His flesh and skin shrank, as if something was sucking his flesh and blood dry. The neighbors were very shocked and didn't know what was causing it because they had never experienced such an incident before.

After this incident occurred, it turned out that many more victims continued to fall tragically, making the atmosphere in Lu Zhong village become tense, even more mystical and full of mystery.

Why did this terrible thing happen and who did it?

---

[mxtxfanatic]

While I initially believed that Xie Lian was derailed from destroying Yong’an by a random act of kindness, upon further reflection, I don’t think Xie Lian would have gone through with the destruction, whether that old man had stopped to talk to him or not.

The thing about tgcf is it’s about a person still being their core self, whether they are at the highest or lowest point in their life. We see Xie Lian at his highest point: a beloved prince revered by all who ascends to godhood and is personally taken under the wing of the heavenly emperor, who is extremely moral. Then we see his descent into his lowest point: betrayed by the people he abandoned the heavens to protect, abandoned one by one by his loved ones, watching his kingdom descend into civil war before ceasing to exist, all the while he has his faith in himself and his morals tested over and over again. And by the end, you think Bai Wuxiang has successfully broken Xie Lian, shown him that being moral and upright has no benefits because everyone you love will leave you anyways, so why not use your power to oppress instead? Except, Xie Lian doesn’t.

He gets real close to it, sure, when he collects the spirits of his dead soldiers to release in Yong’an as payback for destroying Xianle, but I don’t believe he was ever truly going to go through with it. If we break down that series of events, we see that Xie Lian collects those spirits with “full intention” of releasing them… except he doesn’t. He specifically does not do this when it would have been the quickest and easiest route to revenge, and instead, makes a stipulation to himself that he will spare the people if at least one person shows him an act of kindness by removing the sword he has impaled himself on from his body. By Xie Lian’s own stipulations, a people who are so self-centered and callous as to not help a stranger are deserving of destruction, so he would be justified in releasing the human face disease. And what happens next?

Nobody helps him.

Sure, some people contemplate it, but those people are easily dissuaded away from his aid and nobody helps him before his deadline. So Xie Lian gets up and is preparing to “enact his revenge,” except the moment he rises, an old man comes up, talks to him for a little, and gifts him his own used bamboo hat. Originally, I thought this was the moment that made Xie Lian see the humanity in mortals again, but that isn’t true. What Xie Lian was trying to convince himself of was the inhumanity of mortals and that that inhumanity was deserving of destruction, but that is not a belief he has at the core of him, so he couldn’t commit. In the same way that the people who were easily dissuaded from helping him didn’t actually want to help him and were just looking for someone else to confirm their base instinct to stay away, so too does Xie Lian want even the smallest crumb to dissuade him away from this genocide that his own morality rails again. Had that man not shown up to talk to him, Xie Lian’s turning point might have been watching some children peacefully play or watching travelers share food and a tale or watching strangers display small kindnesses to each other. The old man was his confirmation in the story, but it didn’t have to be the old man, because Xie Lian would have turned away from his path of revenge for any reason. (On that note, he is then affirmed in his decision to save the people when those same people refuse to commit violence against him in the face of death to save themselves, a reversal of an earlier scene.)

In conclusion, at his highest and lowest points, Xie Lian cannot conceive of himself using his power and authority to destroy others for his own petty reasons because that isn’t who he is at the core of him, and what he needed in that moment was just the validation in himself to see that being good was still worth personal tragedy, as long as you helped someone and could prevent more suffering. Because tgcf is about being yourself and being able to remain true to yourself in the face of adversity, not about random kindness saving the day.

[nyerus]

His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of XianLe -- Xie Lian

I wanted to do a little meta for Xie Lian to celebrate his birthday, about why he’s an incredible and unique character! One of my absolute faves. Happy Birthday Lianlian! ヽ(o´∀`)ﾉ♪♬

(Spoiler Warning!!!) (Also: massive length warning--get snacks!)

Xie Lian and The Hero’s Journey

One of the most interesting things about Xie Lian is that his personal arc starts near the end. Meaning that he is already nearly fully-realized by the time we meet him in book 1. He has only a few steps left in his classical Hero’s Journey, since TGCF starts in media res. A lot of his growth has been completed--which we witness more first-hand in books 2 and 4--so by the time we meet Xie Lian, he is already endured the most painful of his trials. It leaves him with the traits readers first pick up on: calm, confident, humble, and kind.

The main steps he has left to complete in his journey are the quintessential “atonement with the Father” and his “return home.” These stages of the Hero’s Journey are actually played somewhat straight in TGCF, and the former stage is actually the main plot of the novel. The stages are not meant to be literal, but metaphorical tools for literary analysis, as most books we read employ them in one way or another. TGCF does so as well, just out of order. So Xie Lian’s confrontation with Jun Wu (atonement), then getting his happy ending with Hua Cheng (return home) are the respective stages we see play out in the “present” narrative.

(However, he does have a “call to action stage” nestled within the present-time plotline. One can almost think of this as one Hero’s Journey nestled inside another.)

Xie Lian and The Heaven’s Will

The Heavens shook spectacularly when Xie Lian ascended. Each ascension, the Heavens greeted him with grandeur, even on what he considered his “fluke” of a second. And on his third ascension, the Heavens announced his return in a way that no one had ever seen before--by astonishing all its residents; bringing down the gilded palaces of other gods, and having the ancient clock sound off so fervently that it broke free of its hinges.

There is a lot of symbolism in this alone.

While Xie Lian’s narration (and the reactions of the other heavenly officials, including Ling Wen) paints his third ascension as a mix of comedic and tragic, we can interpret this scene differently. Xie Lian is the only one to have ascended thrice. He is the only one for whom the Heavens shook so powerfully. It isn’t because he’s a disgraced laughing stock--it’s because the Heaven know his true character, and his true strength.

(As an aside--see this post of mine about Heaven as an entity, separate from the Heavenly Capital and gods therein.)

It isn’t a big stretch to conclude that the Heavens show Xie Lian a particular amount of favoritism that it doesn’t to anyone else. One of the explanations for this could be that Xie Lian is the closest thing to the physical representation of the Heaven’s Will™.

This isn’t to say that Xie Lian is perfect. He isn’t, by any means. But he doesn’t have to be. Further thinking of the Heavens along the classic Taoist principles that TGCF draws from, the point is that Xie Lian tries. He works hard with what he has, embraces his fate and destiny, and makes the best of it as much as he can. Xie Lian himself doesn’t set out to be perfect. That is not his goal. His goal is to be a good person who is able to help people. He is morally upright, sincere, and humble. He seeks to maintain balance. These are treasured qualities.

Ultimately, he is human. He makes grievous mistakes, he makes bad decisions, and so on. But at the end of the day, Xie Lian lacks no conviction about his ideology. Even though he endured hell, and very nearly succumbed to darkness, there was always a part of him that held onto that notion that people were worth saving. Even at his worst, he still hesitated before causing harm. And when the man with the bamboo hat helped him--just a single gesture--it was enough for Xie Lian to rediscover that part of himself. His beliefs were re-affirmed, and he found the strength he needed to carry them.

The Heavens did not penalize Xie Lian for needing help. In fact, they rewarded him with ascension itself. When Xie Lian accepted his grief, he began to overcome it. He refused to fall into total despair--and while the actual nature of his second ascension are ambiguous, it’s probable that this is why he ascended. Not because he fought against Bai Wuxiang (because he wasn’t even the one to “win” that battle physically), but because he stood against him in the first place. Xie Lian’s grief, subsequent resolve, and decision to ultimately oppose everything Bai Wuxiang represented--THAT was his Heavenly Tribulation. And he passed with flying colors (much to Jun Wu’s intense fury).

[CONTINUED UNDER CUT DUE TO LENGTH.]

What it fundamentally comes down to, is that Xie Lian chooses to be compassionate. He does so even and especially in the face of adversity. Choosing to be kind when it is the hardest path of all is the mark of true courage and strength. It can’t be said it enough: Xie Lian very consciously makes the choice to do good even when it is hard for him. Even when he doesn’t want to. Because being a good and moral person doesn’t mean that you never have negative thoughts, and for sure Xie Lian gets frustrated and upse. It doesn’t mean you never make mistakes or never hurt people, because Xie Lian has done all those things before as well. After all, he is human, god or not. Things are not black-and-white, and never will be. But staying true to one’s ideals is what matters.

When Xie Lian made the decision to help Yong’An during the drought, for example, he knew it may be futile. He knew that he was breaking rules, going against what everyone else was saying. But he knew in his heart that it was the morally responsible thing to do. He is not the type of person to sit by quietly when there are people in need. He cannot see injustice and despair, and turn a blind eye to it. It also isn’t necessary (or even possible) for him to help literally everyone--as he learns the hard way. But doing what he can, where he can--that’s more than enough for Heaven to favor him. Because that’s the sign of someone who is genuinely compassionate and just.

So it’s no wonder that the Heavens favored him more than others. With a pure heart and strong sense of justice, while still being humble and patient--that’s all the Heavens need.

It’s even ironic that Xie Lian spoke out against the very “Heavens” themselves in book 2, at the height of his pride. But he was actually speaking out against the institution of heaven, and the overly-conservative beliefs that the gods (Heavenly Officials) held. Xie Lian has an extremely non-traditional view of looking at things.

His ideas go against the grain of what has been held true to the people of the world for centuries, but are actually in line with many modern philosophies--that one should not give much importance to idol worship, and instead focus on doing good deeds. That gods, being immortal ascended humans, should display the same humility and temperance; that they not hold themselves in higher regard or expect others to be subservient or fearful. This could very much be in line with what the Heaven’s will actually may be. Why the Heavens favor him so--because Xie Lian understands, in every sense, that gods are only human.

Xie Lian’s Character Growth

“I WON’T CHANGE! EVEN IF IT’S PAINFUL, I WON’T CHANGE. EVEN IF I DIE, I WON’T CHANGE. I WILL NEVER CHANGE!” (ch.239)

That’s the big thing about Xie Lian. It’s what sets him apart from many other characters. From the beginning to the end of his journey, his motivations and beliefs do not change. Only the nature of his motivations, and the basis of his beliefs change. That is to say, he believed that helping others was the right thing to do when he was 17 years old. 800 years later, he still feels this way. It’s just that he approaches the concept differently.

As a teenager, he was naive and coming from a place of high privilege. He was unable to understand the true plights of the common man, and his concepts of helping them--while still noble and morally just--were often somewhat patronizing. His heart was in the right place, but he was simply too young and too sheltered. He also fundamentally overestimated his own capability to help others, while underestimating the negative forces at play that would actively work against him. But 800 years later, Xie Lian has gone through hell and back. He knows better than anyone what it means to struggle, to suffer, to hope, to persevere. He still wants to help the common man, but now it comes from a place of understanding and humility. (The tragedy is, if he were allowed to grow up “normally,” he very much may have grown out of his naiveté and youthful arrogance anyway, after gaining more worldly experience. He was robbed of that chance.)

So Xie Lian chooses to be optimistic about life in general. He knows that he will get hurt by doing this. That people will take advantage of him. He knows, and yet, he continues to hold true to his principles. He neither asks nor expects people to thank him for it, or even understand him (as many people simply don’t). He does it because what other people think or even deserve is not his concern. It comes down to what he believes. That’s just the type of character he is--which is to say: fantastic.

TLDR; Xie Lian Best Boi!!!

[the-raven-who-writes]

Medieval Adventures: A Tale of Kingdoms and Knights

Genre: Slice-of-life, Fantasy, Magic, Self-Insert

Trigger Warnings: Cursing, (but you know that), duel mention, and blood mention

Word Count: 1622 (and 360 for the A/N)

Chapter 4: Show Them

And to think it started all the way back in mid-July.

It’s been three months now. No, four. Four months of practicing sword fighting techniques with a bamboo stick and all the sort. But there was something else I had to do.

Like Ser Sequin said, it was difficult for a woman to become a knight albeit being completely legal. And I’ve always wanted short hair. And I even thought of a name; Joseph Raven. Yeah ‘Joseph’ isn’t the best combo with ‘Raven’ but I guess Sir Jo sounds right

In those three months I also got accustomed to wearing a corset in both normal settings and while exercising. Trust me, this is key. You have to get used to it. I don’t know what’ll happen next. The rest of this story therefore, will be written in the present tense.

With the help of Ms. Simmons, I picked a set of warmer clothing. A cedar-brown long-sleeved tunic over a few under-shirts conveniently hid the shape the corset gave me, with a leather jerkin on top. Woolen stockings, woolen gloves, some nice leather boots, a woolen coif and a belt completed the look.

I waved good-bye to Ms. Simmons, Irene, Lizzy, Avery, Alex, Nancy and Emerald. They’re rooting for me.

“Are you sure your corset isn’t laced too tight?” Avery asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“You have everything you need?” Lizzy asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Then show them who you are!” they said.

I will. I’ll try at least.

—————————————————————————

I wonder why it’s winter. Well, it is November, so…

I tread carefully on the snowy road, careful not to slip again. Even with all those layers, I still feel a bit cold. I am not built for this weather, am I?

Not many people were outdoors, other than the merchants and the sparse passers-by. I think I blended in. Mostly. Some townsfolk are staring at me.

The smell of mist overwhelmed me in the beginning, but now it’s just plain annoying and freezing.

Everyone’s still smiling, however. Some are hard at work, while others are resting. Children are playing near the doors of houses either with little cloth dolls or wooden blocks.

‘Hey Monsieur!”

I look down at whatever was tugging at my knee. Which was a little boy. He couldn’t have been older than seven.

He's glaring at me for some reason. “Are you new here?”

I laugh, unlatching his little hands from my leg.

“Ouais, petit garçon.” (Yes, little boy.)

Before he could say anything more, a woman’s rough voice called.

“Pierre! Where are you?!”

He quickly looks around then runs away, holding onto his woolen hat.

“Arrivant, maman!” (Coming, mom!)

I smile and continue searching for the training hall for the soldiers.

—————————————————————————

I arrived at a large establishment. Stacked stones and marble pillars made up the exterior of it. From here I can hear the clashing of swords and voices.

The sign outside does say “L'entraînement Hall”.

Might as well go in.

The walls were mostly bare and unpainted, large torches on the higher ends of the walls. There were many soldiers dressed in tuscan sun-yellow and grey. Black tricorn hats with gold thread were worn on top.

The Order’s here too, with surcotes furlined at the edges.

One man seems to be monitoring them, with a similar uniform to the knights. He seems to be a knight as well, actually.

I stand dumbly, trying to observe what exactly’s going on over here. I look back at the knights, only to realize some of them were looking at me. A knight with long chestnut hair and blue-grey eyes and another one with black messy- wait are those the knights from the tavern!?

That’s Sir Will and Dame Kyda! They better not recognize me, or I’m toast! I should’ve thought this through.

….

Ok, I have to make a move, even some of the soldiers are staring at me. I take off my coif and stuff it into my pockets because I look stupid in that, like a baby. Not to say babies are stupid.

I marched towards the man in charge, whose build was of a warrior’s.

Jet black, ear-length hair and sharp mocha eyes that took notice of me with a look I could only describe as some sort of contempt. He clears his throat.

“Are you lost, boy?”

I shake my head firmly, standing straight. First impression’s the best impression.

“I am not lost, sir. I have come to become a knight,” I answer, having to look up at him.

He guffaws at that, waving his hand dismissively. In response to that, the soldiers too started to laugh. Now that’s amazing. My eyes are burning… no, not going to cry!

I keep standing with a defiant expression on my face, waiting for those idiots to stop laughing.

“I meant it. I want to become a knight.”

He doesn’t find it so funny now. He’s scowling at me.

“Go home, boy. This is for real men. Understood?”

—————————————————————————

Real men? I can’t stand this drittsekk! There are women and others as well in our army! Just that send him away already! He’s what, 20 something? If Commander Laurens wants to be a ‘real man’ or whatever he calls himself, he should drop that macho act!

—————————————————————————

Well, I’m not a man! But I can’t go ahead and tell him that, can I? I guess being persistent will have to work.

“I’m not going home. Did you not hear me, General?”

“General?! I am a commander, morveux!” he spits, now angry.

“It’s Commander Laurens to you,” he barks, towering over me.

“Did you hear me?”

I hesitated, taking a step back. This guy wasn't just intimidating, he meant to be. He clearly isn't someone I can mess with.

"Excusez-moi!"

Dame Kyda raised her hand from the group of knights. She steps forward.

"Whatever you want to say, Sellanddatter, it better be good."

"Well," she responded nonchalantly.

"He is already here. Why not test his strength with a duel?"

The commander raises an eyebrow, intrigued.

"A duel, you say?" he questions, looking at her.

Murmurs emerged from the curious crowd. They're excited by the chance a duel could take place. This wasn't supposed to happen… I'm not ready for this!

Commander Lauren's grins. Which isn't exactly comforting. In fact, I have a bad feeling about this….

"Traver!" the commander calls.

A young man with jet black hair styled in a taper fade, walks over. He's wearing something similar to the soldiers, but not quite. He has mocha brown eyes like…

He seems pretty submissive, with the way he's cowering. "Oui, C-commander?"

"Find Sir Samson, and bring him down here."

Laurens glances at me.

"Tell him he has a little runt to duel."

Traver pales. "A duel?! But Commander-"

"But Commander!" Laurens mocked in a singsong voice. "Go get him."

Traver gulped, and plodded out of the room.

Oh dear.

Oh no. No no no.

A duel?! I'm not that good! I remember Sir Samson… he was the concept of like a really strong knight. I can hope that he isn't that guy… no, I'm definitely screwed.

What was the dame thinking?! I'm going to have a word with her… if I'm alive..

"At first blood?" I say, mustering every ounce of courage I have. It wasn't a question.

"Of course," the commander agrees.

"Wouldn't want to hurt the little baby."

I'm the only one who could run into situations like this in an almost utopia. I gulp.

"The name's Jonas Raven. And I'll put on a fight."

"Really?" Laurens questions, lifting his head.

He turns to the crowd.

"We want a good duel, don't we?"

Shouts and cheers of agreement emerge from the soldiers and knights.

"So don't disappoint us. I'm sure you don't want to."

—————————————————————————

Dame Kyda begins to regret saying anything. Sir Samson was much bigger than the kid; and size difference was a landslide advantage to the former.

"He could crush him like a twig! Why is this kid accepting the duel?" Will exclaims in disbelief.

"Kyda, why did you even suggest that?" Jakob rebukes.

"It's Sellanddatter during work hours," Kyda countered.

"And do you think I asked him to hurt the 'kid'?"

Aurand pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know Laurens. He doesn't let things go so easy. You gave him the chance."

"Give her a break, Jakob," Sequin supported her. I-I can't watch this, I'm going."

Someone laughs. "And you call yourself a knight, Chevalier?

"Are you scared?" he sneers.

"Ta guele, Cartier," Kyda scorns, turning away from him. "He has a conscience. You don't. And that is the difference."

"Blablabla.."

Kyda sighs. Jonas, you better have something good up your sleeves.

—————————————————————————

Did I say Jonas? I meant Joseph! I wasn't even thinking of Mr. Woolf! Ugh, nevermind, it's not a big deal. No one's bound to notice.

None of the soldiers are sparring anymore. They're waiting for that duel they were promised. Placing bets already. Through the windows I can see the snow fall. Something I can't see where I live.

Oh, what I'd give to be walking in the snow with the rest of the squad! Then we could drink some hot chocolate and talk and play board games and word games…

Focus moron!

No turning back. I'm not turning back. I'm not even gonna think about turning back. Because then I'd be a coward, and that's one thing I'm not gonna be.

Okay, enough of this monologue. You're probably gonna get bored.

Maybe if I just proved to the commander that I'm decent, he'll won't be so annoyed? I don't know.

More importantly, I cannot make a fool of myself. No siree!

We'll have to wait and find out.

—————————————————————————

A/N: Yeah, present tense is hard to write. I keep writing my verbs in past tense!

[and this is me from a day later; actually lost half of what I wrote and recovered it today. That was a scare :’)]

Anyway, about the whole Joseph/Jonas thing… I planned while writing Chapter 2. It's based on something I've done irl lmao.

Basically, I had the opportunity of writing a skit for the morning assembly in school a few years back.

To those who don't know what that is every morning everyone in school goes down to the auditorium (we didn't have one, we had to stand outdoors TwT) and say prayers. I study at a catholic school so yeah. There's bible readings, thoughts of the day and the fore-mentioned skits.

It was something about anti-littering, and I was supposed to be Miss Caroline; teaching students on the effects of littering and what plastics to use and not to use. I didn't really get nerves on stage but for some reason I forgot what my character's name was. My brain automatically substituted it with 'Catherine' and the rest of my class went with the flow. (In my school each class got a weekly turn in the school assembly)

Apparently my lil sister's teacher was a Catherine and that her class and the teacher liked it very much that the educator was named Catherine as well. I ended up meeting her after and I'm sure remembers me even today. I saw her a few months ago too and she seemed happy to see me 😊

‘Ta guele’ means to ‘shut up’ in French, btw.

I've actually had to practice swordfighting with a bamboo stick haha. Props to my sister for helping me with this. Tho I think that she had the bamboo stick and I had a curtain rod lol-

I've got a decent amount of muscle, and I'm somewhat apple-shaped, and I feel if I tried I could pass as a boy. Except my thighs are 'womanly'...

With that out of the way, you'd be surprised to know that the commander was one of the oldest characters for this story, along with Princess Bianca. I'll explain that soon~

Thank you for reading!

[dweetwise]

yes hello i am back on my bullshit again, presenting you yet another felix x ace! (also i’m taking the creative liberty to call the ship riconti because it sounds like a cheese or something and i found it funny) anyways, this one is just me thirsting over the oktoberfest skin through ace, ft. some suggestive language but no nsfw!

word count: 2781

Felix X Ace: Clothes make the man

The whole thing starts as an offhand comment.

"—I mean, it's clearly tailored. He pulls it off,” Ace is telling Meg, who has been complaining about Felix's stuffy suit and even stuffier attitude for five minutes straight. “But it's so impractical!” the girl argues. “Wasn't he on some kind of field trip when he was taken? What kind of guy wears a suit to that?” “I don't know, but I'm not going to complain about free eye candy,” Ace smirks, and Meg rolls her eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot rich snobs are your thing. Sucks you can't scam him for his money in here,” Meg snarks. “Excuse me for having taste,” Ace shoots back. “I wish I had a suit like that. Do you think it's Gucci?” “Burberry,” an increasingly familiar voice answers from behind him and Meg whips her head around to look at its owner, eyes wide in shock at having been caught gossiping. Meanwhile Ace, liking to think he has more self-control, schools his face into a pleasant smile and slowly turns around to face Felix. “Would have been my next guess,” Ace says, trying not to let it show that he's mentally slapping himself for essentially thirsting over Felix when the other was within earshot. “I like the cut. You've got good taste.”

He’s feebly trying to save some of his wounded ego, but probably ends up laying it on too thick. Felix fidgets a little, maybe not used to getting compliments, before he seems to catch himself. He meets Ace's eyes and the hint of a smirk tugs on his lip.

“Wish I could say the same,” Felix says, pointedly looking at Ace's flamingo sweater, before turning around and walking away and leaving Ace to gape at the unexpected sass from the normally serious man. “I take it back, I like him!” Meg snickers beside him.

The Entity seems to share Ace's enthusiasm for Felix's fashion sense, and only a few trials in Felix is already in a different suit, this one a grey plaid.

“Hmm…” Ace pretends to mull over when they're working on a generator together. “Did you see something?” Felix asks, hurriedly glancing over the top of the machine to try, in vain, to spot the killer. “I think the navy blue suits you better,” Ace smirks at his own pun. “Though the plaid certainly makes a statement. Shame that statement is ‘I'm a grandpa at thirty years old’.” “You know, in my job, gold is really only used for trims. Any more than that is just tacky," Felix deadpans, not even sparing a glance at Ace's obnoxiously golden silk outfit. “And it's thirty-eight.”

Ace doesn't bother suppressing his grin over the fact that Felix seems happy to go along with his silly banter.

It becomes sort of an inside joke between them, and when Felix shows up to the campfire in a porn stache and driving gloves, Ace chokes on a laugh.

“I’m sorry, is this an 80's theme party?” Ace jokes. “Careful you don't end up on a propaganda poster with a stache like that.” “Why are you wearing an eye patch?” Felix immediately shoots back. “Is this the 16th century? Should we break out the rum and set sail?”

Ace hears Quentin snort beside him.

“It's a pilot outfit,” Ace argues, pulling his jacket with the pin-up print tighter against himself defensively. “No, mine is a pilot outfit,” Felix deadpans, and Ace can't really argue, not when the other is wearing a bomber jacket and pilot glasses and leather gloves. “Yours is a blind truck driver.”

Bill coughs out something akin to a laugh on the other side of camp and Ace bites his lip to stop himself from doing the same.

“Can I borrow the shades some time?” Ace forfeits the argument, and Felix smiles just the tiniest bit. “Sure.”

And Felix actually follows through with the promise, switching sunglasses with him when Ace later complains his own don’t go with his outfit. It’s a pretty cute gesture, like they were close friends or even a couple, and when Felix snorts and tells him he looks ridiculous it just serves to make Ace smile brighter.

It’s not like the exchange or the ones before it mean anything, it’s just harmless joking with the occasional flirt. Ace still thinks Felix is attractive, but he doesn’t have any illusions that the man would be into him like that, with what having a girlfriend and unborn baby back home, not to mention Ace having a good ten years on him in age. Still, he appreciates that Felix goes along with his cheeky comments, at least not grossed out by or taking offense to Ace’s flirting.

He only gets to keep the shades for one trial, because the Entity has blessed Felix with another outfit for Ace to offer his unsolicited opinion on.

“Oh my god,” Ace comments when he spots the horrendous, grease-streaked mop in place of Felix’s normally expertly styled hair. “Are you a closet hipster? Is an avocado smoothie going to fall out of the hat?” he quips, eyeing the fedora that is, in Ace’s humble opinion, vastly inferior to all of his own hats. “I needed a disguise to lay low for a while, and what better way to hide in plain sight in a big city?” Felix defends his unkempt hair and dirty t-shirt. “What’s your excuse?” he shoots back.

Ace glances down at his generously open shirt—gold again, just to annoy Felix—and tacky sequin pants.

“Vegas, baby,” Ace grins. “If you’d ever been, you’d know.” “I’ve never been happier to say I haven’t,” Felix chuckles. “I don’t think I could handle more of… whatever this is,” he says, gesturing to Ace’s outfit. “When we get out of here, I’m definitely taking you,” Ace quips. “I just want to see you cry over all the flashy satin and fake gold.”

Felix doesn’t roll his eyes or make a sarcastic comment like Ace expects. Instead, he stares blankly in confusion for a few seconds, before his expression settles into a smile Ace can’t quite place.

“Alright,” Felix simply says, and combined with the soft smile it’s enough to make Ace nervously look around camp for a distraction. “Hey, Kate!” he hollers, spotting the songstress braiding Meg’s hair. “You got a hairband for our friend and his questionable hair style over there?”

He ends up regretting the question as soon as Kate insists on braiding Felix’s hair and the normally standoffish man, somehow, goes along with it. He can’t believe he’s jealous for someone getting to touch the grimy, unkempt strands, and it sure as hell doesn’t help that Felix seems to like it. Kate looks thrilled to get to spend some quality time with the man, chatting about this and that and taking way longer than necessary to make the hairstyle, and Ace ends up walking away and pestering Dwight to play some cards with him so he can at least win at something.

His win streak over the poor boy is interrupted when Felix later sits down with them, gesturing for Ace to deal him in, and Ace can’t quite hide his pleased grin that Felix would rather spend time with him than the beautiful girl who just played with his hair for half an hour.

“Better?” Felix asks him, turning his head to display the most pathetic French braid Ace has ever seen, ending in a ponytail that’s barely an inch in length. “Much better,” Ace says, definitely referring to the company and not the state of his hair, and even the normally diplomatic Dwight gives him a weird glance over his cards after taking in Kate’s handiwork.

Only a few trials after the incident, Ace has the pleasure of spawning together with Felix in one of the Yamaoka maps. When he sees a horrendous checkered pattern from the corner of his eye, he knows he’s in for a treat.

He quickly turns to face the man, nearly tripping over some shrubbery as the Entity decided to place him in some inconvenient bamboo. He meets Felix's eye, opening his mouth to start a snarky comment, when his thoughts come to a complete halt upon seeing the entirety of the outfit.

“Well? Get it over with,” Felix demands, crossing his arms self-consciously and—lord have mercy—blushing a little.

Ace's brain is reduced to white noise in the equivalent of ‘hhhHhhHHhh’ while he just stands there, feet still in the stupid bamboo, and stares.

Felix's hair is now an impeccable undercut, a few loose strands framing his features beautifully, and the perfectly trimmed stubble adds a rugged charm to his handsome face. The vest is stylish, a navy blue similar to the suit Ace likes, and the checkered shirt shouldn't work with it but it does, and there's even a matching handkerchief in his breast pocket. Ace's horny brain immediately goes to hanky code and shut up brain it's in the wrong pocket—

Ace mentally shakes his head and looks at Felix's pants instead. And that was a bad idea, because he’s wearing fucking. Leather. Pants.

Again, it should look ridiculous, but Ace feels himself start salivating at the idea of them hugging Felix's ass—ugh, focus!

The pants have small ribbons on the sides and the entire ensemble is so goddamn adorable and sexy that he can't even deal. And Ace has seen a lot of handsome men during his life, mostly in the mirror, but right now, Felix takes the cake.

Felix's attitude shifts from embarrassed to curious when Ace isn't immediately opening his big mouth like usual.

“If this is how all Germans dress, it’s a tragedy I’ve never been,” Ace flirts, his dick having taken over his brain and his mouth running on autopilot.

Instead of insulting Ace's panama hat and favorite pink shirt, Felix clears his throat and averts his eyes.

“You don't look too bad yourself,” Felix mutters, cheeks heating up again as he twiddles with the cuff of his shirt.

Ace idly wonders if the bamboo bush is big enough for them to make out in without being spotted—brain, focus! The guy is just being polite, no need to jump his bones!

They've got the usual back-and-forth out of the way, but Felix still isn't moving to start the trial, regarding Ace warily and fidgeting, and he's just so fucking hot—ugh, he needs to say something, doesn't he?

“God, the things I'd let you do to me," Ace thinks while he says ‘We should find a generator’ because he's not going to creep Felix out any further—

Felix chokes on nothing and his face flushes bright red, and Ace belatedly realizes his brain got its wires crossed and he definitely said the first bit out loud. Shit, that was definitely out of line, and if Felix hasn’t been offended before he sure as hell should be now.

There’s a screech from his left and Ace has never been so glad to take a bonesaw to the shoulder as when the Nurse teleports next to him and interrupts their awkward conversation, Ace finally running out of the goddamn shrubbery while clutching his injured shoulder. Strangely enough, the Nurse doesn’t follow him as he runs up to the temple, and soon after he hears Felix yelp instead, the killer chasing him around the shack.

Damn, now he somehow needs to make it up to Felix both to apologize for his foot-in-mouth syndrome and for him taking the Nurse off Ace’s back.

Unfortunately for them, the Nurse isn't playing around this match, and when she returns to tunnel Felix right off the hook, Ace barely even gets the chance to yell out a “Move!” and throw himself in the way of the attack, much less talk to him about what happened earlier.

Soon Ace is walking back into camp, the second to last to have been sacrificed, only Claudette remaining in the trial and trying to find the hatch. He's already prepared an apology, and hopefully he'll be able to joke it off and Felix won't be weirded out by him. Well, at least not more than usual.

But then he spots Felix talking to Dwight by the edge of the camp, and Dwight freezes mid-conversation upon seeing Ace, before his face twists into a—smirk? Since when has Dwight smirked?—and he says something to Felix before taking off, walking over to where Steve and Ash look to be engaged in a game of tic-tac-toe.

Ace doesn't even have time to ponder why Dwight suddenly seems like he knows way too much, because Felix is approaching him and he knows this is a make or break it situation.

“Dwight seemed awfully smug, huh?” Ace jokes to buy himself some time after his carefully crafted apology flies out the window when he sees Felix’s serious expression. “We need to talk,” Felix says, looking and sounding every bit the stern businessman Meg thinks he is. “Yeah, alright,” Ace agrees and tries not to deflate too much upon essentially being shut down before he can even try to make things right.

As he follows Felix out into the woods away from prying eyes, he considers whether it's even worth apologizing if their friendship is done with anyway. He just hopes this won't cause unnecessary drama within the group, the others sure as hell don’t need to get involved.

His train of thought is interrupted when he's suddenly pushed against a tree, letting out a startled yelp that he’ll later vehemently deny. Shit, is Felix going to beat him up?

An arm wrapping around his hip is finally enough to pull Ace out of his racing thoughts, and when he looks up at the man he finally realizes that Felix is definitely not upset with him, and his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline upon seeing the clear bedroom eyes thrown his way.

“Is this not okay?” Felix asks, his dark gaze faltering from insecurity. “Naw, baby, just took me by surprise,” Ace practically purrs, a lazy grin spreading over his face as the familiar confidence returns, his hands running over Felix's shoulders appreciatively. “I thought you were upset with me from before, not that you'd take me up on the offer.” “Well, I—” Felix starts, clearing his throat self-consciously. “I've wanted this for quite some time, and Dwight said you probably wouldn't be opposed, so…”

That's what they were talking about? And Dwight convinced Felix that Ace is down to fuck? Shit, he needs to get the kid a fruit basket or something to thank him.

“He's definitely not wrong,” Ace says, trying for a seductive look but probably ends up leering stupidly from the anticipation instead. But apparently it gets the job done, because Felix pulls him tighter against him and leans in for a kiss.

And okay, wow, apparently he wasn't lying about really wanting this, because there's an urgency in the way he practically devours Ace's mouth, letting out an appreciative groan when Ace parts his lips and encourages him to deepen the kiss.

So maybe he should be worried about Felix's girlfriend or his sudden interest in men or whether he's looking for more than a casual fuck. But Ace has never been good at thinking certain things through and he's not about to start now, not when he has a breathless and flushed Felix pulling away from the kiss and looking at him with lust-blown eyes.

“I've wanted to do that for a long time,” Felix breathes, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. “You really should have just asked,” Ace smirks, a little amazed that he managed to miss all the signs, because there’s nothing subtle about the way Felix looks at him now. “I was working up to it,” Felix argues. “But then you started practically eye fucking me—” “I was looking respectfully,” Ace corrects, causing Felix to snort. “You stood in a bush and drooled, and then propositioned me,” Felix points out. “Yeah, and you liked it so much you blushed like a virgin and started flirting and took the killer off of me—which, thanks for that, by the way—” Ace starts. “You're welcome.” “—and… why did I think you were mad at me again?” Ace realizes. “No idea. I thought it was pretty obvious why I dragged you here to ‘talk’,” Felix emphasizes, gaze roaming appreciatively over his body. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Ace encourages, flashing his signature smirk in challenge.

And Ace learns that no matter how much he likes Felix's outfit, getting to help Felix out of it is even better.

[system-threat-detected]

So I’m running a D&D game set in the Horizon universe, so I think about a lot of unnecessary worldbuilding stuff, like main exports/imports of tribes, what resources they might have available to them based on in-game evidence, and other stuff. It got me thinking about their clothes. Specifically the stranglehold the Oseram seem to have on linen. 

I don’t actually know a lot about clothes, cloth, or armor, so take that as you will. It’s something that vaguely interests me, but most of my knowledge comes from quick google searches, or that one time I went down a cloth-based rabbit hole on Wikipedia, so please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about stuff. 

Out of all of the tribes that we see in-game, the Oseram are the only ones who use (what I’m assuming to be) linen in their armor. While this can be chalked up to design language - trying to get us to read someone as Oseram at a glance just by looking at them - I’m going to read more into it. 

Flax, the plant that linen is made from, grows well in Idaho/The Claim, and enriches the soil with nitrogen, blooms early, and is easily replaced by native plants, making it ideal for terraforming that part of the US. It would make sense for DEMETER to put it there, meaning the Oseram would be the ones who produced and sold the linen found everywhere else in game.

[ID: three Oseram mercenaries, dressed in leathers, metal, and cloth. end description.] 

Your average Oseram citizen also wears this cloth, though most of them seem to be wearing forge-worthy leathers (which could pass as armor anyways) based on my exploration of Pitchcliff and Free Heap. 

Another demographic who wears this non-leather cloth are common Carja citizens, as well as the poor/displaced people of Sunfall. More wealthy citizens and outlanders wear silk, and the nobles wear almost exclusively silk(Charles why did you think putting silkworms in the middle of Utah was a good idea? They are not native animals. Charles the silkworms that produce usable amounts of silk have been so domesticated they can’t even survive in the wild anymore. Charles silkworms can ONLY eat Mulberry tree leaves, which, thinking about it, I may actually have found in The Jewel. Charles pls.), but that’s a topic for another post. 

[ID: Five Carja citizens from the Horizon Zero Dawn art book. Two are labeled “Craftspeople Woman” and “Craftspeople Man”, who appear to be wearing mostly linen and some silk. One is labeled “Artisan”, and is wearing some linen, a lot of silk, and some decorative machine parts. The last two are labeled “Villager Man” and “Villager Woman”, and are wearing all linen, no silk. End description.] 

It makes sense that the Carja have access to this linen, as they canonically have good trading relations with the Oseram. 

It’s also worth pointing out that black/purple dye is time consuming and extremely difficult to do. The shadow Carja/Eclipse made it part of their Whole Aesthetic, which I find hilarious(but looking deeper into the implications, horrified). They’re canonically starving all the time and they still find the time to dye black clothes. 

[ID: A turnaround of an Eclipse thug, whose outfit is mainly tattered, deep black cloth, with some dark red, bullets, and a white mask. End description.] 

Black dye can come from chestnut trees, so there is, in fact, an in-game basis for this, as I found chestnut trees in The Jewel while looking for avocado trees, but I’m even more incredulous they figured out how to make purple. The most likely sources, since they obviously don’t have access to that super exclusive Mediterranean shellfish, are Rocky Mountain Irises, Blackberries, Elderberries, or Daylilies, none of which I have seen in game, but can grow in the Utah area.

We can interact with exactly one Utaru in the whole game, but the concept art for them appears to be mostly woven/dried plant leaves or leather, and some machine parts.

[ID: The front and back views of two Utaru. They both are wearing outfits with strips of dried plants or leather woven together in alternating black and yellow patterns, a mysterious mint green cloth, red feathers, a little bit of black fur, and a dried grass cape. Both are wearing hats made of woven plant/leather, machine parts, and what appears to be wood. End description.]

Looking at Rea, the Utaru we interact with in-game, the mysterious mint green is toned back to a more natural green, and it actually looks more like leather than fabric.

[ID: A waist-up in-game rendering of Rea, an Utaru woman. The rendered textures make everything previously assumed to be cloth or plant fiber, besides her grass cape, look like leathers that have been tanned differently. End description.] 

It’s possible the Utaru have access to cotton, but there simply isn’t enough in-game information to confirm or deny that. 

The Banuk and Nora tribes overwhelmingly use leather and hide, along with assorted machine parts (like metal or cables) in their wardrobe. It makes sense for them to be dressed this way, as where they live is colder than the Sundom or Plainsong. I have, however, noticed there are strips of cloth used in their outfits. 

[ID: Four generic Banuk warriors, wearing leathers dyed their traditional light greens, blues, yellows, and reds. Their heavy, warm outfits also include furs which range from, and sometimes gradient from, blacks to whites. There are strips of what appears to be vibrant blue cloth wrapped around their limbs, as well as attached to their weapons. End description.] 

The blue cloth the Banuk use to tie their boots up/their arm wraps on and on their spears is obviously a reference to the Blue Light, and is the only cloth in their outfits. The rest is warm leathers or furs. Their territory, Ban-Ur, is mostly covered in glaciers, so it makes sense they’d opt for overall warmer clothes.

While we know from Bergrund that the Banuk don’t like trading for ‘necessities’, it is possible that the easily-dyed blue cloth is one of the things they will trade for, as it holds religious symbolism for them.  

And the Nora:

[ID: Concept art of four generic Nora Braves, all wearing outfits comprised of natural leathers, white machine metal, and blue machine cables. End description.] 

[ID: Aloy wearing the Nora Silent Hunter Heavy armor. The armor is mostly made of natural leathers, but there is a green and blue net woven of some unknown material. End description.]

The green/blue net/rope stuff we see in Nora outfits is most likely woven from natural fibers taken from dogbane, nettle, or milkweed. 

Aloy’s scarf looks like it’s made of silk, 

[ID: An in-game image of Aloy. She is wearing the armor Teb made for her, and is standing in the dappled shadow of a tree. Her blue scarf is shining like silk. End description.]

But there’s a possible explanation: It’s the same one she had as a kid, that Rost wrapped her in as a baby. He was a well-traveled man, maybe he found it while he was on his vengeance quest, and kept it because it reminded him of his wife/daughter or something. (She’s wearing her baby blanket around her neck)

This, however... 

[ID: An in-game rendering of Olara, a Nora woman who is wearing an outfit made of natural leathers, dark blue netting, a dark blue cloth sash, leather belts, and what appears to be a knit wool shoulder cowl. End description.] 

Ma’am where did you get that wool. There are no sheep here. The Banuk have all the goats, and they don’t even use them for that. There are no Angora rabbits here. No alpaca. And yet. There you are. With your knit wool(?) shoulder cowl. Someone please help me out here. What could that be made out of. 

And then there are the Tenakth. The game doesn’t specifically state where they are from, but since only Carja texts seem to mention them, and the Banuk/Oseram/Nora lore we are provided doesn’t mention them at all, I’m assuming they’re south of the Sundom, kind of around Arizona/New Mexico area. So like. Hot. Dry. Sunny. I’d argue that what little we have seen of their designs supports this. 

[ID: Concept art of members of the Tenakth clan, shown from two different angles, one male, one female. Both are, wearing classic Tenakth blue and red body paint with thin white lines. Both are wearing light armor around their neck and forearms, and the woman is wearing a red chest wrap that appears to be made of cloth. They are both wearing skirts made of woven plant fiber, green, yellow, and red dyed leather, and red leg wraps. End description.] 

The body paint we see could easily double as natural sunblock, since they clearly don’t have the light, airy Carja silks to keep the sun off their backs. But I’m getting distracted again. 

[ID: An in-game rendering of Ullia, a Tenakth woman. The texture pattern on her clothes suggest the red material around her chest, arms, and legs, is in fact, cloth, while the strips of material around her waist and upper thighs are leather. She is also wearing shin-guards that appear to be made of dried bamboo. End description.] 

BAMBOO???? What does it MEAN?? (After a quick google search, I learned that bamboo does, in fact, grow in the Americas. A quick google search informed me it is native to a lot of South America, Central America, and the Southeastern United States. Why or how it got to the Southwestern States is beyond me, but it’s making me think the Tenakth territory (The Clan-Lands) is a lot wetter than I originally thought. Or they stole it from whoever boarders the eastern part of their territory.) But again, I’m getting off topic. Back to cloth. 

The Tenakth are known for raiding, and taking what they believe to rightfully belong to the strong, so even though they’re nowhere near The Claim, it’s likely they have stolen a linen from the Carja, but not enough to be able to consistently make a whole outfit out of it. They seem to just use it where it would be the most useful, like for attaching the bamboo/machine metal to themselves as armor. This lines up with having a scarcity of a certain material, so I’m pretty satisfied with this explanation. 

This concludes my long and unnecessary analysis of Horizon world clothing styles. I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I did figuring it out!

BONUS:

[ID: A still from the Horizon: Forbidden West trailer, showing two members of the unnamed clan that lives in what was once the Yosemite area. They are both wearing outfits made of leathers, scavanged machine parts, natural rope/string bindings, and carved wood. End description.]

Whoever these guys are, they don’t look like they have cloth, but they’re likely capable of growing flax, if I’m right about where they’re from. 

And the other one: 

[ID: A still from the Horizon: Forbidden West trailer, showing a person standing in a field of red vines, holding a withered carrot in their hand. They are wearing a yellow and green outfit, which appears to be made mostly of woven leaves and leather. End description.]

These people who appeared in the HFW trailer, who I’m no longer convinced are Utaru, don’t look like they have cloth either, but we don’t really get a good look at their outfits in the one scene they appear in the trailer. 

[clownmeat242]

the big, brown beaded rosary above my grandparents’ bed

a big, bulky backpack full of my dads things

a stick used to pry mud

an apple that stayed very good after a long time

pink, purple, and blue lava lamps

a special yellow lava lamp

an angel baby statuette, lying down holding a moon

2 special, blue coral dolphin figurines, 4 dolphins, 2 dolphins each

a mood bracelet

blue bangles with colorful gemstones

a card id that was my dad’s death identification

a big, interconnected dmv online system with games

a nun’s headdress

various gummy candy

christmas light lawn deer decorations

photographs of my dad

a photograph of my grandpa with my two young cousins

a plastic bag full of yellow rice and shrimp

my dad’s eggs

the string across sierra’s window with our things hanging from it

american flag sunglasses

a brown cigar box

a silver elk creature with silver chains hanging from it

black swirls of death

these goggle-like glasses that would have parts that would pop off when trying to be fixed

a clear, dry glue stick

a bitten off, red ring pop that resembled a pacifier

a peppa pig baby phone toy

a baby book with blue writing and bees all around it, saying “the cross dressing” something

the blue can of axe spray from 2016

my grandpa’s computer

clear, star shaped boxes of blue slime with pink beads

carrot cake

the red ball toy with the cat in the hat on it, from my childhood

a bulky, purple, show poodle toy

an oval shaped virgin mary necklace with a golden crown

a bigger, heavier, circular, holographic necklace of mary, joseph and jesus, with a message about love

a halloween wall decoration of a group of people wearing pink with blank faces

little sims 4 ghost light decorations

fancy bathtubs with buckets to collect water from them

chocolate straws and wafers

a big hole in the sand that resembled one my dad used to dig

the aloe vera plant on grandma’s balcony

the beaded necklace i made with cheap walmart beads, with a part of the ohio bead necklace attached to it

a deep blue, circular pendant of mary and jesus

this virgin mary, religious box and a mary/joseph/jesus figurine

a note written to a teacher about “what my grandpa did to me”

the rose lamp in my room

my puppy angel container

my backpack, stolen by my grandpa

sierra and i’s black notebook

a big toy bear that was actually a real bear

buttered toast

incomplete clown outfits

contradicting black/white couches

metal rods shoved through little mind people holding them in place, dead together

gratuitous cupcakes with baby blue icing

a mix of games i created with a crash code, crashing into itself like a death game black hole

orange juice

my jar of piercings, while my earrings were all missing from my ears

a big grey fountain with a statue virgin mary in the middle of it

mary made of the same opaque glass as the light angel

a documentary about the women who lived in the pink virgin mary house, as well as a youth group

a map of a beach area where mary was born

a metal helmet with little wings

dark black scribble drawings in my old puppy notebook

a drawing about something having to do with protecting the precious innocence of a child

a meth pipe with meth in it

a magnifying glass

a green backpack that belonged to my different dream parents, full of old photographs

golden tooth/gums dog implants

silver paw print dog tag

yellow greyhound bus tickets from savannah, georgia to west virginia

dried chunk of ramen noodles

a handful of clear dog teeth

a bag of blood to drink

my red axe, that i bestowed upon an ally

the blue manatee towel from my childhood

a thing that looked like a bowling pin but it was a “clown drink” and spawned in random places

holographic religious picture in my wallet

alcohol bottles at the store to smash

my clover ring (it’s “lost”)

blue toy unicorns, severed doll heads, naked barbies

a big heart collage figurine thing that my aunt created for me, with a bible verse, a glued picture of me when i was a child on green sea glass, a framed heart photo of my little cousin, a crying fairy angel figurine on top, a candle, and a figurine of st. francis crying, kneeling. it was stuck together with this movable white glue so it would come apart, but it was together.

these book pages that could have paint extracted from them

drawers that could only be opened with passcode

chicken patties that were cooked over and over, dropped in the same places, and eaten

blue ice pops that appeared frozen but were liquid

lemon flavored chips

a letter with evil energy written to me, with thick, scribbly distressed black writing, that said “GET SOME HELP” with a $500 bill, and on the back more unintelligible crayon writing, with 2 names, zesh & halla, and a pumpkin drawing

a shining blue orb in the sky with a mermaid inside, floating down to my grandma’s balcony and created energy

my mom’s teenage ring

a big box of tools

reflective mirror glasses

a screen that “needed repairing”

a dress up game where you could turn a man’s head into the head of a gorilla

2 stacks of childhood photos that i gave to an undeserving person, to look through

an alternate instagram account of someone i knew in middle school where he was dead and it was his memory page

a candid photo of 3 people i knew in middle school

donny’s white truck that i messed up somehow by turning the wheels on gravel

a huge container full of yellow pacifiers

a piece of paper that someone wrote “angel” on

a pink key and a red key

a huge stack of hay that could kill people by rolling over them

the window of a pool supply store with blue art of angels ascending

money that looked like superman cards

a purple vape with a synthetic marijuana substance (paranoia, hallucinations) called axlaxl

a pink box with feminine personal effects

huge cardboard boxes of fruit, stacked on top of small beer boxes stacked on top of each other

a red toy soldier holding a bazooka (counterpart)

a rainbow jumprope stuck in the dirt attached to roots

a huge yellow goodyear semi truck

a small amount of weed in an old altoids can

my dad’s red box of drill bits

my old purple bike

classic bubble gum

my green converse that had something written on them like “cage the lamb”

my tragic clown statue that and had its porcelain coat turned inside out to be a rodeo vest

a white pair of boxers with burgers, fries and soda pops, and another pair over them, cut and snipped

a golden outdoor christmas display of the virgin mary, joseph and jesus

a gargantuan statue of the virgin mary looking down at the ground, wearing a light blue veil, towering over the church

a mermaid drawing on a whiteboard

a white sheet tied up with a black and pink easter egg inside that could put a fully grown human inside of it

pink, rose shaped bouncy ball that lit up, and once lit it wouldn’t ever stop lighting up, a pumpkin one too

food tickets that could get you rice drowned in vegetable water

orange frog displays in dirt

a designated frog hat that lets the people know who the leader is

“angel water” in green vials

aztec heads in the pool bathroom

huge dead roaches

a box of ham

a cat angel statue

2 cherubs made of clay, had water dumped on them and they melted

tall blue flip flops

a white friday the 13th lighter

a white “the shining” lighter that had “jack” written in blood on a hotel wall

an airline called “popair”

silver hanging nipple rings, a silver chain and half blue, half red pants

severed amusement park parts being taken away in a white van

a box of nails/screws, a big black box

bamboo trees

a big ball of chocolate

my skyrim dragon keychain

a drawing pad with 2 girls kissing

a faucet that soaked everything

a disgusting poem written by my grandpa “lathered in water, a son and a daughter, how exquisite”

a red squishy bear toy

[curewhimsy]

In chapter 5 of Symphony Saga: Resonate, a lot of new characters are introduced now that Haku and Neru end up at a bakery in Whimsica.

Conversation is had... and I’m planning on each character having um... at least one speaking part!

But just in case... Yes... I wrote descriptions for all the characters I planned on introducing.

———

Teto Kasane- (UTAU) Cheerful, friendly, and silly. Likes harmless pranks, smiling, and anything fun or humorous. Kind of like an excited little puppy. Adorable and animated. Has chimera powers. Grows dragon wings and a tail when she’s angry, which is rare, but intense when it occurs. 14 years old.

Momo Momone- (UTAU) Teto’s close childhood friend. Clumsy, passive, and meek, but optimistic. Extraordinarily gentle and mild-mannered, but can unexpectedly pack a punch. Can detach her head with magic. Wears frilly clothes. Likes peaches, but hates nectarines. Has an older brother named Momotaro. 14 years old.

Luka Megurine- (Vocaloid) A bit like an older sister figure to Teto. Moody, quiet, elegant. Has a mature aura. A bit shy, and not all that confident. Good at music and art, and is quite knowledgeable. Clumsy in a fight. Gives good, sage advice. Half-nereid (water nymph,) and can hold her breath underwater for ten minutes. Loves seafood (especially tuna,) but would never eat her pet octopus... 17 years old.

Mako Nagone- (UTAU) Luna’s best friend. Calm and chill usually. Mostly agreeable, mature, and nice. Has a well-concealed, yet fiery temper. It’s a bit hidden, but she’s super-tough. Her berserk button (hated thing) is when people discourage dreams. Acrobatic. A kunoichi (female ninja) in training. Plays viola as a hobby. Loves historical media. Loves ultra-spicy food. 17 years old.

Luna Amane- (UTAU) Mako’s best friend. She’s kind of an airhead. Rabbit fauna with youkai powers. Dramatic, eccentric, theatrical. Likes idols and astronomy. Surprisingly very adept at astronomy and math. Awful at chemistry and cooking. Wants to be an idol! Dancer trained in ballet. Likes carrot cake. Likes sparkly indie fashion. Likes magical girl shows and the manga authored by her friend, Yowa Shion. 17 years old.

Yowa Shion- (UTAU) A worrywart, thinks Teto is too impulsive. A shoujo manga artist. A bit like Teto’s “tsukkomi,” or straight man to her joker. Enjoys quieter activities like drawing and reading manga comics (romance and adventure,) cooking, cosmetics, and studying. Has an embarrassing little crush on Sora Suiga. But it’s pretty embarrassing. Her favorite food is taiyaki. Rather modest. Likes soft things and round things. Hangs out with Mako, Luna, and Sora a lot. 14 years old.

Sora Suiga- (UTAU) A dorky, yet charming and friendly sort of everyguy who likes music, sports, memes, plays Minecraft, has bad luck, is gullible, easily scared, and wishes he were cool and tough like Mako. Class clown. Mischievous. Likes curry bread. A fan of Yowa’s manga stories, and often helps her with ideas. Has a sarcastic pet squirrel named Acorn. Hangs out with Mako, Luna, and Yowa a lot. 15 years old.

Pandora Panda- (OC) Black, indigo hair in two puffy buns. Manager of Pandora’s Bakery. Teto and Momo’s boss! A bit like an older sister figure to Teto, nonetheless. However, she can be irresponsible. Purple panda fauna. A carefree person who has passion for the things the likes... which are food, shopping, and decorating! Pandora is usually carrying around a box... of fun things! Likes bamboo bread. For some reason she doesn’t like parallelograms. Her favorite shape is a hexagon, like her box. But don’t worry... her Pandora’s Box is hex-free. 18 years old.

Emi Byul- (OC) Korean, periwinkle hair. Random gremlin of memes. Yells a lot. Impulsive. Tomboyish and wild yet loves cute fashion. Plays violin. 4’10” but somehow a force to be reckoned with. Usually smiling innocently. In her random phase. However, she’s secretly insecure... 13 years old.

Nova Sol- (OC) Spanish, orange hair in pigtails. A writer. Always getting inspiration for stories. Likes citrus. Always jumping around, demanding attention. Underneath her confident and smiling exterior, she is a sentimental sap. She just doesn’t like to show that side... 14 years old.

Roy Nijine- (OC) Black and a quarter Japanese, plum purple hair in six long braids. An inventor. Stoic and grumpy. Secretly shy and sensitive. Sometimes feels lonely. Nova and Emi are his best friends, even though he pretends they get on his nerves. He actually really appreciates them and likes seeing them happy. 13 years old.

Ian Glaze- (OC) Norwegian, dark mint hair. Likes ice cream (in summer) and hotcakes (in winter.) Mild-mannered and quiet, but outgoing and sociable around friends. 15 years old. He is a bit new to Speckle Town and isn’t as close as Emi, Nova, and Roy are to each other. He is eager to become closer.

Tako Luka the octopus- (Vocaloid derivative)  Luka’s pet octopus that greatly resembles her! Quite spoiled. Playful. Likes pranks. Giggly. Cannot speak human languages.

Nyan Cat- (Internet sensation, voiced with Momo Momone’s voicebank) Momo’s gray alien cat with a pop-tart for a body. Can fly and leaves a rainbow trail behind in the air. A loyal companion. Cannot speak human languages.

Muffin the bunny- (OC/stuffed animal) A relaxed and calm anthropomorphic blue bunny. Non-binary. They would talk, but are mute, so they communicate with sign-language and gestures. Loves to eat pie and take siestas.

Merengue the bunny- (OC/stuffed animal) A cheerful and humble anthropomorphic talking pink bunny. Understands sign-language. He is Muffin’s best friend. Skips everywhere. Likes to decorate.

Happy the llama- (OC/stuffed animal) A teal blue talking llama who loves to throw and attend parties! A charmer. Just a little self-centered... Wears a black top hat. Likes tap-dancing, especially at parties. Banana’s best friend. They dance together. Likes to drink Ramune soda.

Banana the lemur- (OC/stuffed animal) A graceful, yet hyperactive talking magenta lemur who does ballet and wears a pink tutu. Happy’s best friend. They dance together. Likes to drink bubble tea.

Slumber the owl- (OC/stuffed animal) A sleepy and scatterbrained talking gray owl who is an inventor. Speaks very formally. His inventions are often very genius... and often duds with specific, obscure uses. He sometimes messes up on the inventions, with humorous results. Overall, he is quite friendly and somewhat silly. Wears a monocle.

[sapphirewolf1122]

The Demon of Aokigahara

WARNING: This fic has strong/direct references to depression, thoughts of suicide, and some implication of self-harm. Please read with caution.

Summary: When you became a demon, your master promised you a family and the power to never feel weak again. But he didn’t tell you the price you would have to pay.

Word Count: 2,094

A/N: Long-time, no post, I know. I hope you are all doing well with all this COVID stuff going on. This isn’t exactly the happiest story to make my return with. But there’s something about my being in my feelings that gets me writing again. I recently bought all of the volumes for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba and spent one of my days off (all this going down actually turned me into an essential worker, where normally I’m not) reading them. It was around Vol. 3/4 that the idea for this was born. I then proceeded to re-watch the anime as I planned the story out. As I said before, I was in my feelings as I wrote this; this was my way of getting it out as I haven’t really been able to let them out otherwise. I don’t really expect many to read this and understand if they don’t. But I put a lot of research into this so I’m kinda proud of it. I don’t really have an exact time frame in mind for this. I haven’t read beyond Vol. 11, though some of my research did unearth some spoilers. So please forgive me if maybe some facts from future chapters conflict with what’s here. Okay, I’ll shut up now and let you read the damn story.

Empty.

                                                                                               Someone was here.

Worthless.

                                                    Another human had been drawn to your forest.

Weak.

                                                           What was it that drew them in? Curiosity?

Broken.

                 Or did your aura awaken their own, true feelings? The ones they were ashamed to admit to?

Pain.

                                                                  Perhaps they thought they could help?

Hate.

                                                                                            But they couldn’t help.

Hopeless.

            All they could do was feed you, which only allowed you to keep on living.

Relentless

You were driven only by the need to feed. It never went away. It never stopped.

Endless.

                                                                              Your master made sure of that.

Black.

                                There they were. You reached out to them, almost invitingly. And they accepted, drawn to you; drawn to the darkness.

Loneliness.

                                This one actually ran to you with open arms. They didn’t always come so easily. As they drew closer, there was something familiar about them. Were they saying something?

Numb.

                                The human embraced you and for a moment, something sparked in you. But yet again, your need to feed took over. You held onto the human tightly and soon, you felt it.

Lost.

                                You felt their darkness. You drew it out, absorbing it, feeding on it. You kept going until you’d sucked them dry. By the time you were done, the human was dead.

Cold.

                     You dropped their grey body, not caring to hide it. If it were found, no one would question it. Your master had told you of your forest’s reputation.

Nothing.

        Looking into the human’s face for a moment, you saw a single black streak running down their face. Again, that twinge of familiarity. But then it was gone.

Trapped.

                                                                                            There was nothing.

~~~~~~~~

You were crying.

Gone, they were all gone.

You had come to the forest alone, but to do what?

No one was coming for you.

Your hand tightened around something. A handle. Looking at it, you saw that you were holding a knife. Oh, right.

Staring at the knife, you told yourself to get it over with. But something was holding you back. Was it cowardice?

Or something else?

Before you could figure out the answer, a soft voice spoke near you.

“Hello. Are you okay?”

Startled, you looked up to see a tall, pale man in what appeared to be expensive white clothing, a hat on his head. He seemed to be attempting to look concerned. But there was something forced about it…he almost appeared to be smiling.

“I...I…”

“You poor thing. You’re so alone, aren’t you?” His slitted eyes glittered.

All you could do was gape. Tears continued to flow down your face, seemingly a confirmation of this man's words. Was he even a man?

“Such a sad, poor thing. Would you like me to help you? You would never have to be alone again.”

Never alone again? How?

“I could give you a family.” He stretched out his hand to you, a clear invitation. “And the power to never feel weak again.”

Despite something within you telling you not to, you felt drawn to this man.

You took his hand.

Pain. Empty. Numb. Darkness.

You should have listened to that voice inside you. The man who was now your master had lied.

~~~~~~~~~

You sat in the snow at the base of the mountain, near the cave you normally went into during the day. Your white kimono blended in seamlessly with the surrounding snow. In fact, with your pale skin, you would have been able to use the snow as a camouflage if it weren’t for your long, black hair.

You were expanding your aura, sending it out as a dark, tendril-like mist. It was how you drew your victims to you. Normally, you would be walking the grounds of your forest but tonight, you wanted to stay near your cave. The weight that you often seemed to carry was far too heavy today.

As your tendrils sought their next victim, you listlessly ran your sharp nails up and down your arms, opening trails that quickly closed before you could stain the snow. You're not sure how long you did this for. Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

It didn’t matter. You had an eternity.

After however long, one of your tendrils stopped. It sensed a presence. No. Two. Two had been drawn into your forest. But something was different.

All beings exuded an aura. Most of the humans that found their way into your forest had a rather grey aura. But not these humans. Or human...because it was very obvious that one presence wasn’t human. No, one of them was like you. A demon.

And yet...both exuded a warm aura. It was such a warmth that you hadn’t known for a long time, since long before you became a demon.

You could feel the warmth wash over you and as it did, a face flashed before you. But before you could recognize it, it disappeared.

Drawn to the warmth like a moth to a flame, you sought out the human who was accompanied by a demon. Now that you thought about it, your master had mentioned something about such a pair. What had he said? Your mind was so sluggish, you couldn’t remember.

You walked soundlessly across the snow, leaving no markings. The moon was still to the east, behind the mountain, so the forest was cloaked in its shadow. But it wasn’t long before you spotted your visitors.

The male wore a green and black checkered haori over a black uniform, a sheathed katana at his waist. He had reddish-black hair, red eyes, a marking on his forehead and wore hanafuda-like earrings. The female, the demon, wore a pink kimono under a brown haori, her long dark hair flowing loosely around her, and a bamboo muzzle where her mouth was.

Ah, yes. Now you remembered. The demon-slayer and his demon sister.

The demon spotted you first and let out a short growl to warn her brother.

“What is it, Nezuko? Do you see them?”

So they had walked in knowing you were here. Had they come intentionally to kill you? It wouldn’t be the first demon slayer to try.

If you managed to defeat them, your master would be pleased. He may finally give you what he had promised so long ago. You doubted this demon slayer was used to your type of weapon. Anybody who gave off such a warm aura could not know true sadness.

You were broken out of your reverie by the sound of the boy’s voice again.

“There’s something different about this demon, Nezuko. Their smell...it’s not like that of most demons. I can’t smell the blood of those they’ve killed. But I can sense the yūrei of this forest. And I can smell their deaths on this demon.”

You cocked your head. How could he tell that you hadn’t fed in the traditional manner of your fellow demons? What did he mean he could smell their deaths?

“You there! Are you the demon of this forest? Are you the Demon of Aokigahara?”

“I am.” Your voice came out raspy; it wasn’t often you spoke to your visitors.

“Did you kill the humans who came here?”

“Most. Some came to die on their own, though their essence still sufficed to feed me.”

“Their essence? You mean their souls?” The slayer’s eyes widened in horror.

You just shrugged. “I do not know if it was their souls. I know it was what lay in the darkest parts of them. The parts they often hid from the world.” You had begun moving your tendrils, blending them in with the mist. It would appear this visitor would not be coming to you on his own.

Your words did seem to cause him to pause. He sniffed the air, searching for something. What he found surprised him. “You’re sad.”

You drew back slightly in shock but you did not respond as you continued to work your tendrils towards him. Towards his warmth.

“What is it that makes you so sad? Is it the deaths you’ve caused? Do you feel remorse?” The slayers sounded...hopeful?

“No,” you responded with some bitterness. “I feel nothing.”

And with that, you dove your tendrils into him, seeking to draw out whatever made his aura so warm. Perhaps it would finally wash away the cold within you.

But what you found was so much more. You had been quite wrong. This slayer knew sadness. He knew more sadness than most humans ever did in their lifetime. Scenes flashed before you. Bodies, so many bodies. Blood-soaked. Burials. Feelings of failure. The crushing weight of an older brother’s sense of responsibility to care for his family, only to be upended at every turn. And most of all, pain. So much of it…

Your knees buckled at the weight of all the emotions that began to wash over you. Things that you thought you understood but you hadn’t felt like this in centuries...hadn’t felt them like only a human could. It seemed as though it wouldn’t end.

But then...you sensed something...there was a light...you reached for it…

You were on your back, the weight of the demon Nezuko squarely on top of you. Her angry growls vibrated throughout your entire being, her slitted eyes bright with an angry fire.

To your surprise, her brother walked up behind her, looking down at you with sad, kind eyes. Tanjiro. Tanjiro Kamado was his name. You had seen it in his memories.

How was he still alive? He should have at least been unconscious, with how much you had absorbed from him.

“I see now how you feed. In your own hunger for human emotions and warmth, you unearth the feelings most humans refuse to acknowledge or handle. It becomes too much. So in the end, it kills them. But I’ve accepted and chosen to learn from my darkness, not be ruled by it.”

Tanjiro Kamado knelt down next to you.

“I hope my humanity gave you some small amount of peace before the end.” You heard the his of his sword unsheathing.

Reflexively, you grabbed Nezuko’s arm and began drawing from her. Normally, this would not work on a demon. But Nezuko was a demon who had dedicated her existence to protecting humanity and in turn, held onto her own. She still had human emotions.

But she was much like her brother. But it was because she was a demon that she was able to withstand the physical repercussions. And because of her limited memories of her human life, you reached that warm light quicker than before.

At first, it blinded you. Then, it began to consume you, burning through you like a vengeful flame until it consumed you.

But then, once it had, you saw that face again. The one from before. This time, it came into focus. It was female. It was familiar in more ways than one.

As she turned to you, you saw her smile at the sight of you. A single, black tear ran down her face. The memory of a long ago human who had visited your forest came to mind. One that had run to you with open arms.

She was doing so again now but this time, you could hear the words she spoke to you.

“I finally found you. I was worried that I would be too late.”

A single word came to mind to who this person was to you.

“O-oneesan?”

Your big sister’s smile widened at your question. “Of course I am. I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

“You...you came for me?”

“Of course I did. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

You shook your head, tears running down your face. Your sister to wipe at your tears and then pull you in for a hug.

“You needed me. Why wouldn’t I come?”

At that, your sobs began to rack at your body and you held on tight to her, telling yourself that if you held on, she wouldn’t disappear.

“I’m so sorry, oneesan. I let myself go too far. I should have known better. I’m so sorry!”

You felt as she petted your hair, something you suddenly remembered she had often done for you when you were upset while growing up. “Sssh...it’s okay. You’re only human; sometimes we can’t bear the weight of our darkness on our own. Sometimes we need a little help and that’s okay. Are you ready to come home?”

You nodded against her kimono and with a small chuckle, she stepped back and took you by the hand, leading you away.

Leading you home.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N2: If you made it through the story, thank you for reading and while I doubt it was exactly enjoyable, I hope you felt the emotion I tried to convey behind it. Sorry if it was kind of rough around the edges, it’s been almost a year since I’ve actually written a full story.

I wanted to leave it relatively open for some interpretation. From the research I did it appears SPOILER  a cure was found and I liked the idea of this demon getting a second chance. However, I don’t know all the details behind this so my hope may be in vain.

I promise the next story will be more upbeat. Going back to BNHA. It’s already written but I wanted to stew over it some more; will hopefully post some time later today (day off, whoo). It’s not the one I promised back in January but I’m hoping I can keep the streak up to finally finish that one. I apologize to all who I have kept waiting and I thank you for your continued encouragement.

[lansizhuis]

Do you think MNQ have actual feelings for JW?Even after everything he's done?

[WARNING: SPOILERS ON TGCF END]

me, outside: *calmly typing*me, inside: LISTEN UP ONE (1) BRAIN CELL OF MINE - WE FINALLY GET A JW AND MNQ AND JUNMEI ASK SO SQUEEZE IT UP

Haha okayokay, so first of all - I’m not sure what you mean by “actual feelings” like is it in a platonic loyalty way? romantic sense? So I’m just going to try to be very general as much as possible. 

MNQ DEFINITELY LOVES JW (take the “love” however you mean it). MNQ left JW once already and hid from him. But now, he’s back and took courage to return and stay this time around. 

It’s evident that MNQ still cares for JW that when he found out that there was someone who was born under the same stars/circumstances and the like as JW, he disguised himself as that child’s teacher. We can also see how much he still respects him that even though technically JW was their “enemy”, when HC was being disrespectful to him with his “Why do we have to attach importance to you?”, MNQ couldn’t help himself to berate HC who was technically on their side with “Youngster, when you speak, don’t be too arrogant!” Of course, this is also because MNQ knew that JW is strong af and if pushed to his limit will wreck them all haha He also got how this JW’s mind worked (hence the many scolding and words he gave XL before) and even in ch237 we get that confirmed with “The Guo Shi can be said to be the person who understands Bai Wuxiang the most in this world right now”. 

And we also see how despite MNQ technically being a very big foil to his plans, JW holds him dear in his own way. He could have killed MNQ any time but time and time again, he keeps him alive (their false pretenses on each other when MNQ was still Xian Le’s Guo Shi and when he dragged him up the heavens and locked him up instead). Another instance this was very evident was when HC and JW were fighting and MNQ kept giving his insight to help their side and JW just lightly reprimands him with the part: He glances at the Guo Shi, smiling, “To teach others how to deal with me in front of me, and I won’t to kill you, but you’re certainly becoming increasingly bolder.”

Point is - MNQ and JW are on opposing sides and despite the fight not literally technically between them, the pain and hurt they have on each other seeps through. This was most evident during that time when XL was getting smashed by JW that MNQ screamed at JW asking him to stop and appealing to his humanity with arguments on “XL is young! Let him go this once! He’ll be sensible one day!”. And then JW turns his attention to MNQ and basically states his own hurt against him with words like “The one you wish to be sensible is not him but me, right?” and he starts accusing him of bringing up and teaching XL in hopes that XL will show JW that he’s wrong and anyway that whole ordeal. 

And when JW was pinned down, MNQ kept calling for him to stop, to please forget it and he kneels and begs JW to see reason even though JW kept roaring “scram!” to him. *cries* Then JW starts strangling him in anger and MNQ waves XL’s help away and just quietly says, “Your Highness ah.” And JW could snap his neck then and there and we all know MNQ would let him. JW would have continued fighting XL but it was MNQ’s words that finally reached him when MNQ admitted how he missed him, how he missed their friends, how he missed the days when they haven’t ascended and finally with that “i am tired now, are you not tired as well?” AT THE END, BOTH OF THEM ARE TIRED - MNQ is tired of running away, of letting JW down, of all this destruction; JW himself is tired of pretending, of deceiving, of suffering alone. 

MNQ understood the Wu Yong emperor, his friend, the one person he was loyal to. But back then, he failed to understand the fallen emperor, this devastation who wore a mask - who was consumed by pain, grief, and suffering that he destroyed, murdered, and made others bleed. It was only during this present time that he finally understood that part of JW; hence, why he stayed instead of running away again. One of my favorite parts on the last scenes of the big fight (besides XL putting his bamboo hat on JW as a parallel to how bamboo hat man put it on XL aka this act of kindness that saves is being passed on) is that small scene after the XL vs JW fight. XL asks MNQ to come with them but MNQ responds with “I’ll accompany His Highness the Crowned Prince for a while. After all, in the past, I didn’t accompany him.” 

*breaking down* It took them sooooo many years of dealing with pain, grief, and feelings of betrayal ALONE SEPARATELY but now they can stop. MNQ finally takes the courage to stay with JW this time and JW finally has that one person he needed by his side. They took a long destructive path to get here but now, they can start healing TOGETHER and rest.

[randombtsprincessa]

Boketto

[bo-ke-tto] Jap. (v.) act of gazing into the distance without a thought

All Rights Reserved.

Author: Randombtsprincessa

Characters: Kim Namjoon x Reader (2nd POV)

Words: 3.9k

Genre: Pure Fluff

Summary: It is the birthday of the love of your life. What do you have planned?

Warning: Nothing! Just a little suggestive ending!

A/N: Happy Birthday, Namjoon! I haven’t forgotten how much I love you! This piece is actually quite private, sitting in my drafts since 2016...I had to shave it down to not let it get away from me! 

I love Feedback!

The day was perfect. You knew it was rare; either the sun would be too strong, too much wind or somehow too cool, but today, even the weather seemed to be in tune with your plans. Well, it could be that, or maybe your boyfriend was just that blessed.

You smiled at the soft rays of sunlight that streaked in when you carefully parted the curtains, just a little so as to not disturb the snoozing man still in bed.

Letting the gauzy material slip out of your fingers to return the room to its dusk, you padded to the bathroom first, stretching out sleep stiff muscles, making sure to stay quiet as you brushed your teeth and took a quick shower. You had enough time in hand but he needed his sleep, he deserved it after all the hard work he put in for so many long months, all culminating in exhausting years.

You slipped on a summer dress of soft cloth, letting it brush to your calves as you walked to the living room now, setting the coffee maker to work and checking the duffle bag you’d brought along.

While it had been a couple years that you and he had been dating, there were a few talks you’d always kept closely to yourself, mainly due to the fact that his work never really allowed the time or the headspace for him to actually ponder matters as such. Like the talk about moving in together, had never really been broached, yet you knew it gnawed on him just as it gnawed at you. There were others, like visits at work, taking vacations outside in the public together, all matters that you had personally forbidden to yourself, for the sake of his mental peace.

Like the matter of saying I love you…another topic that you knew bothered him deeply when he had the time to give it thought.

You didn’t look it, but you knew that when your relationship crossed the one year mark, these unsaid conversations were going to be strains – matters that would more likely hurt him or cause him disturbance rather than give him the sense of calm that you wanted to provide.

You saw it in his eyes, when you would get up from his couch to leave for your own home, the bite of his lower lip when he warred with himself to ask if you wouldn’t rather just stay, stay with him to avoid the hassle. You saw it in the furrow of his brow when he came over to find you in the kitchen and instead of greeting him with the emotion you both knew you felt, you would just smile and greet him with a perfunctory welcome. You saw it in the tense shoulders he would carry, when he showed you pictures of his solo adventures, knowing he desperately wanted you with him on one.

So, you had taken up initiative. A smile spread across your chapped lips as you made sure everything was in the duffel bag of supplies. Your boyfriend had been less that surprised when you’d shown up on his doorstep, greeting him with a light peck to his plump lips. His surprise was more towards the number of bags in your hand, a joke falling from those lips that you had already planned to move in before he cut himself off, moving to the kitchen quietly to bring you some water.

Well, he wouldn’t need to cut himself off for much longer…or so you hoped. It all depended on him today.

You felt rather than heard him shuffle around in his bed, getting to your feet and quickly peeking in to see him turn his head to your side of the king size. One arm freed itself from under the pillow, sweeping across the span of where your absence had cooled the sheets. You walked over when you saw him frowning to himself, his sleep lagged brain starting to pull itself towards consciousness.

You scooted into your side, letting his palm find yours, clasping them together as his face smoothed out, eyelids fluttering as you leaned in.

“Happy Birthday, Namjoon.” You whispered to him, plush lips curving upwards slowly as he kept his eyes closed.

“It’s today, isn’t it?” He asked, morning voice all low and grumbles.

“Yep, I wanted to give you all the sleep time you needed.”

“I missed you.” He muttered.

“I wasn’t even gone, I was right here when you woke up.” You reassured, lowering yourself to kiss away the pout already forming on his lips.

“Why are you all dressed? Get back into bed.” He sighed, finally turning around and cracking his eyes open.

“We have plans, baby.”

“We do?”

You hummed, running your fingertips gently across his hairline, his head automatically nuzzling in the comforting touch before you slid off the bed again, much to his displeasure.

“Ok, we have to be up now,” you clapped your hands enthusiastically as Namjoon propped himself up, looking pitifully dazed.

“Five more minutes,” he mustered in the face of your excitement.

You turned from the doorway as you looked at the hunkering frame of your boyfriend, a light sigh escaping you at his cuteness.

“You can sleep in the car.” You answered; his reply an indulgent ‘fine’.

And sleep Namjoon did in the car…

He let you slide into the driver’s side, the sleeveless shirt and shorts you’d put out for him matching his pajamas as he pushed the passenger seat all the way back, spreading out like a buffet.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked, muffling a yawn.

“You’ll see,” you smiled absently, adjusting the rearview mirror. “You should sleep.”

Namjoon snorted. “Babe, I’ve been awake longer than 25 hours one time, you know.”

All big words, because the moment you turned onto the express way, Namjoon’s head dropped back, mouth open and snores filling the space between you. His sandals came off, then his hat, all tossed into the backseat as he submitted himself to slumber.

You couldn’t help but glance at him fondly, the slight tremble of his nostrils each time a snore passed them oddly endearing.

God, the things you noticed when in love…

And the man you loved was definitely worth noticing, even when he woke up like death as you pulled up in front of the small section of beach where you’d decided to celebrate his birthday.

“Where…are we?” Namjoon questioned dazedly, peering at the smooth white sands leading up to the foaming clear waters.

“The beach,”

“This is not the beach I remember. Did you drive to the northern borders?”

“Not really; they have private sections for people who want to book them.” You told him, docking your car at the small driveway of the cabin adjoining your haven for today.

Namjoon nodded at the explanation, looking somewhat satisfied. The both of you exited the car, you walking over to unlock the door of the cabin.

Inside, it was light and bright, exactly what the brochures had promised and you let out a gentle sigh of relief while your boyfriend set your bags down near the sofa, going straight to the balcony.

You clasped your hands together, moving in the space to make sure everything was the way it should be, the way you paid for them to be. The living room was sparse with bamboo and galvanized chrome furniture, the kitchen clean and stocked; no sea food thankfully, you didn’t want Namjoon to be traumatized realizing he had devoured a precious ‘friend’ on his birthday. You peeked into the bedroom, noting the plush bedding on the metal bed and critically eyed the bathroom.

Toilet, sink, bathtub with shower…all seemed to be in order…you were happy to say.

“Baby,” You turned your head to see Namjoon waiting patiently for you to be done, his own fingers twisting the hem of his shirt, rumpling it further.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, going over to cup his chin. If there was one thing you didn’t want him to do, it was worry about anything.

“I just realized. These things…they cost a lot. Jackson threw a party at a beach like this and it burned a hole through his pocket.”

“Joon, that was because Jackson’s friends turned out to be assholes that nearly destroyed that beach. The poor thing was ranting about never inviting the morons who had no civic or environmental sense. Half that money was for clean up. We won’t be doing anything bad here. We both hate littering, we’re only two people and you are basically a fish.”

Namjoon tilted his head at the consolation, not offended at being compared to a water creature for his love of them.

“I know; but still, how much did you pay?”

You pursed your lips. “Does it matter? It’s your birthday.”

Namjoon shrugged. “I don’t like you spending so much on me. I’d have been glad with take out on my couch and for you to…just stay.”

You gulped. It was too soon. You’d planned all sorts of timings for these conversations.

“You know you spend more on me. I like spoiling you too sometimes.” You whispered. He didn’t look much convinced.

“I’ve been saving for this from the start of the year; I didn’t get too much of a hit on my paychecks darling. Besides, this is a gift for me as much as you. I never get to take you out.”

Namjoon’s pout vanished, his posture straightening as he eyed you with a new zeal. “You’re right. I’m being dumb. I have zero right to do anything but to enjoy our present and bask in all the attention you can give me.” Namjoon pumped his fists lightly in a ‘let’s do this’ movement before gripping your hand tightly.

“Now if you’re done checking for mold or cockroaches, let’s go to the sea; my home in my past life.”

Brittle rock prickled at your soles, the lush waters providing a smoothening feel over the tops of your feet as you stood, absolutely still, reveling in the pure power of nature.

Namjoon and you had walked a little down the shore, leaving footprints that you enjoyed watching being washed away with the currents. Of course, your boyfriend took it upon himself to wax poetic about how this meant that none of you were permanent; just fixtures that could as easily be torn down as you were put up.

You’d shushed him, laughing gently and pointing to the shoals where you were pretty sure Namjoon could crab hunt.

And well…you’d been right.

Within moments, Namjoon was calf deep in the waters, bending over till his face was inches above the surface and hands clasped as if in prayer to find something or the other. You had stayed back, choosing to take some salty deep breaths to rejuvenate yourself.

The stuffy city life was all fine and dandy till the excitement wore away, leaving only a longing for something…green…

Closing your eyes you let your arms loosen up, stretching them away from your body a bit; the skirt of your dress fluttering in the breeze. Maybe you looked silly, but if there was any one you expected to not laugh at you, it would be Namjoon.

Who at that very moment wrapped a muscular arm around your waist, tugging you gently into him, “I’m a little disappointed; no crabs.”

Your eyes popped open, soft and fondly trained on the way Namjoon ducked his head, plump lips jutting out to sulk and the edges of his clothes wet. He looked at you a little sheepishly.

“Sorry, I’m being childish.”

You shook your head immediately, cupping his face and patting those precious dimpled cheeks. “Come on, let’s feed you, you big baby.”

The inside of the cabin, when you tugged him back was warmer than outside, prompting you and Namjoon to open up all the windows and the balcony. Namjoon rummaged through his luggage, pulling out a sheaf of fan mail to read on the deck while you busied yourself in the kitchen.

The sizzle of the pan oil that sautéed the veggies hissed through the air, the scent of honey basted stir fry chicken permeating the small area as you micro waved instant rice. You glanced at the man hunched in thought over at the balcony before noticing the pencil in his hand.

“Yah! Are you writing?” You screeched, the wooden spatula in your hand rising before you could help yourself.

Namjoon flinched, the bunch of papers that you had assumed were letters turning out to be loose papers bound together and a pencil twirling between his dexterous fingers. “I’m just…”

“I thought you promised no work?”

“Yes baby, I was just…struck with a little inspiration.” For his benefit, he did look guilty; knowing that he always being in the ‘work’ mode had been a cause of discomfort more often to him than you. Yet, he never seemed to change…

Well, he wouldn’t be the man you fell for if he did…

You shook your head to yourself, sighing as you pointed to the table. “Ok, come and eat. We can change and sit outside later.” You offered him your hand and Namjoon grasped it quickly, tossing away the writing material on the sofa to join you at the table you’d set.

You’d kept lunch short, sending Namjoon in to shower and change out of his salty wet clothes and changing yourself into another summer dress – this time, a gift from Namjoon. It was blue, hugging at the waist, bought by your boyfriend when he was somewhere near the Caribbean. The small deck at the back of cabin was perfect for watching the sunset and the onset of the thunderstorm, you decided.

Just for the sake of it, you made sure that the contraption was properly nailed down into the fixtures before resting your picnic basket on it, stocked with olives, cherries, a couple strawberries and cheese. You saved the bottle of wine chilling in the fridge for later.

Namjoon soon walked out, a matching blue denim shirt and khaki shorts on with his sleeves rolled up, something he knew you loved on him.

“Hey, we match.” Namjoon beamed at you, the shower having washed away much of the earlier grime from his countenance as he leaned down to kiss you before admiring the small picnic spread on the table. “I know we just ate, but there’s a thunderstorm on the forecast tonight and I thought that we could just sit and watch it begin while having this before heading in for the night?” You ended it as a suggestion, not wanting to sound like you were hijacking the plans for his special day. You totally had planned everything down to a tee but you still wanted Joon to have some say in it.

“I don’t mind; I’d like to see the storm a bit.” Namjoon assured, pulling out a chair for you before plopping down opposite to you, eyes turning once to keenly check the horizon and how bad it could get.

After all, it wouldn’t be Kim Namjoon if he didn’t check things through, no matter how much his girlfriend was always on top of them.

You and Namjoon slowly went through the picnic food while catching up, all your office tales regurgitated for him to comment on or advice upon how to handle while he allowed himself to relax and complain just how overworked he was starting to feel before putting a collective foot down with his members for the break.

You popped a slice of cheese in his mouth. “Good, get angry Kim, you don’t do that enough.”

“I do it a whole lot more than I show babe.”

You smiled at him spewing out further around the mouthful of cheese when you noticed the shadows finally setting in. Almost in synchrony, the both of you turned your heads to look at the sea.

The sun crept towards the horizon, blinking cheekily up at the darkening clouds that loomed overhead. You chewed on your bottom lip, a small trickle of worry trying to worm its way through you. What if you had miscalculated? What if the onslaught of storm was harsher than you had anticipated?

The ocean had picked up its pace, turning a darker, much more intimidating shade compared to the brilliant teal it had been earlier in the day. You turned your head to look at Namjoon, about to voice your concerns and to ask if he wanted to head in sooner rather than later.

Of course, the words stuttered and then died on your lips, your brain too foggy with the image of your awed lover to bring up such trivial matters.

Namjoon had his head craned up at the sky, mouth open slightly as he looked at the clouds with literal heart eyes. His nose was scrunched at the base ever so slightly, making his nostrils flare. His jaw and neck strained, the tight cording in his arms bunching muscles as he hunched over to get a closer look from under the awning. Hair rippled in the quickening wind, lashing against his forehead and flattening it back.

He was beautiful…and you loved him so, so much.

Namjoon’s eyes widened, his head turning to you so fast, he must’ve given himself whiplash. “What did you just say?” He demanded. You blinked, a little slow on the uptake. “What?”

Namjoon stared at you, if possible, much more flabbergasted than he had been at the raging waters. His hands pressed flat to the table, torso nearly bending over it towards you. “What did you just say? I want you to repeat it.”

You gulped; taking a second more to realize that in your stumped wonder, you had accidentally blurted out what you’d been thinking. You had told your boyfriend you loved him, with no consciousness.

Well, there went your first plan.

“Y/N,” Namjoon warned.

“I love you.” You answered meekly. “I love you Kim Namjoon. I love you so much. You are the kindest, gentlest, sweetest man to have graced my life. You are intelligent, understanding, and steady and you have so many ideas I can never keep up with you but I love the chase and I love it when you wait for me to get there. I love how you never make me chase you, just your mind. I love how you’re patient, calm even if you’re a bouncy ball of stress. I love how you could be vibrating but you hold my hand through everything. I love how you sing moonchild to me when I don’t like where I am and I love how you call me your love. I love how you sleep, you big breadcrumb, all over me that I nearly die but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

You had barely finished but Namjoon was already out of his chair, hunkering down to yank you up from yours and to crush you to his chest, big arms wrapped tightly around you as he tried to fit his much larger frame into yours. You cooed over him, brushing through his hair as he literally shook.

“Damn, I’ve wanted to say all of that for so long, but you beat me to it. I don’t know if I should be mad at you or not but this is absolutely the best birthday ever.”

You giggled at him, petting the baby hairs at the back of his neck. “Don’t say that just yet, love. I have one more gift for you.”

Namjoon pulled away, an odd glint reflecting deep within his coffee eyes. “There’s more?” he whispered, the same bouncy energy radiating from him, reminiscent of when Jimin had helped you bake a mega two tier Ryan cake, complete with attached body and a head.

“Yep,” you dipped your hand into the shallow pockets - yes! Your dress had pockets! - Of your dress, watching his eyes drift down to your hands in anticipation. You waited a beat, suddenly uncertain.

Did you really want to do this? Were you even ready? Was he ready?

You sighed when you felt his gaze return to you, excitement softening into concern. No, you could do this. You only had to trust him and that was the easiest thing in the world.

Your fingers surfaced, pinky hooked into the loop of the keychain, one key hanging from it.

You let it dangle in front of a now frowning Namjoon, the key swaying in his sight before he raised his palm, letting you drop it into his cupped hand. “Your key; why are you giving me your apartment key…?”

“Well, that’s the gift, I guess.” You mumbled before looking up at him, squaring your shoulders. “I’m willing to stay. I’m ready to move in with you. I mean, of course, it’s up to you and it’s your house but I’m really just going out on a limb here. You can say no and I would totally understand. I don’t want to put you in a spot, I swear.”

“Stop babbling, sweetheart,” Namjoon cut in.

You stammered before guzzling out, while Namjoon let out a huff, hugging you to him again, just for a split second, a tight embrace that gave you no time to wrap your own arms around him again. He pulled away just as soon, one arm around you, holding you to his side as he stared at the key in his palm.

“Of course I want you to move in, Y/N. How many times have I told you to just stay when you walk to the door? How many times have I told you to sleep in with me when you’re rushing to get home so you could go to work? Oh and by the way, I calculated and the time to get to your office is lesser from my place. I was totally going to hit you with that next time. So, yes, I want you to move in. However, the key is yours.” He returned the key to your pocket, hand splaying against the flesh.

His eyes moved to yours, mirroring the small smile dancing around your lips.

“I want to wake up next to you, all crazy haired and puffy. I want to share showers with you, cook you breakfast and clean up with you. I want to call you when I forget what groceries you needed. I want to walk in to see you in the kitchen or on the sofa or maybe even in the bath. I want to show you my pieces when inspiration strikes at 2 AM. I want to stare at you while you nap so I can dedicate you songs. I want you to rant to me while I’m watching TV. I want you to be there to kiss me to shut up at midnight when I get philosophical. I want all of that with you, at all and any time.”

You weren’t going to cry, you vowed. At least not right now…

You wound your arms around his neck, pulling yourself flush to him as matching grins lit up your faces.

“We’re just two morons who talk too damn much.” You whispered, your lips ghosting against him.

Namjoon opened his mouth to retaliate when an almighty flash of lightening broke across the night sky, signaling the start of the storm.

“Well, I suppose that’s the start of that. I would love to watch this.” He said wistfully before turning playful again. “I can think of a better way to end the day though.”

You laughed, swatting his arm when you felt the hand around your waist, inch closer to the curve of your behind.

“Lead the way, birthday boy.”